Only You
by HitsuHina143
Summary: Hinamori Momo is the 'new girl' of Karakura High. As Hitsugaya Toushiro is the popular, chick-magnet and out of this world guy. But he only has his eyes set on 'one' girl but getting her is harder said than done.
1. First Sighting

Chapter 1

_Seven-Thirty-Five is a beauty hour to begin school, _Hinamori thought, as she opened her locker. The bell rang and she sighed. Hopefully being the 'new girl' would excuse her tardiness. It certainly had no other perks. She thought fleetingly of the friends she had left behind, with whom she had crashed bashes and stalked the darkest corners of Honshu Town. Last night she just arrived in Karakura Town, giving her rarely enough time to get unpacked and settled in. 

She forcibly banished such thoughts. She was here now, and it was time to begin this new life. _Starting with Karakura High._

Her first block was Japanese History and though she located it easily, the class had already begun when she slipped through the door.

"Hinamori Momo?" the teacher confirmed as Hinamori turned over the folded pink slip from the office. Shusuke-sensei was a dark brown hair man around his early 30s whose crisp suit pants and shirt seemed out of place in the high school. He gestured towards the class. "Take a seat…there's one open right next to Abarai Renji-"

"Actually, someone's sitting there," one of the girls in the back of the room called. As Hinamori's attention turned to Renji, she realized that he looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place his face in her memory. He had looked up long enough to see who had come in the door, and was writing something in a notebook. The desk next to him appeared empty to Hinamori; the chair was vacant. 

Shusuke-sensei looked surprised, but he skimmed the class again.

"There's a seat here," someone else called, and Hinamori glanced to see who had spoken. White hair, clean skin, beautiful aqua eyes. _Someone out of the ordinary. _She hesitated but Shusuke-sensei was already hustling her towards the empty seat. 

"Hitsugaya Toushiro." The boy said, introducing himself as she slid into her chair. He nodded across the class. "That's another one of my close friends, Matsumto Rangiku." The girl he gestured to waved slightly. The girl had gorgeous strawberry- blonde hair, but she wore her uniform a little bit to revealing. Nevertheless Hinamori was aware of the fact that these two were close also by the fact that both of them gave off an uncomfortable aura. 

"Nice to meet you," she answered politely though inside she winced. _This could be a very long year. _

She began to realize that the aura wasn't from the boy beside her but from the 'rest' of the class. Shusuke-sensei was talking to her again, and she turned her attention back to him. "Momo, as you'll see, I like to begin class with a conversation about current events, to keep us involved in the present as well as the history." Raising his voice to address to all the students, he asked, "Now who has something to share?"

The number of hands raised-none-was overly surprising. Most of the students looked like they were still asleep. 

"I know it's early," Shusuke-sensei said, encouragingly. "But you are allowed to wake up any time now. Who heard the news last night? What happened in our world?"

Finally a few hands tiredly rose, but most of the students had better things to do. The girl sitting in front of Hinamori was reading a graphic book that looked like manga. Nearby another student was doing English homework. The teacher was either oblivious, or he just didn't care. The news story that was being repeated by a girl in the first row wasn't all that fascinating, anyway.

"Did you just move in?" Hitsugaya asked his voice quiet to avoid the teacher's attention. He had a deep raspy tone, but smooth and unhurried. Hinamori nodded, trying to keep a small portion of her attention focused on the dull classroom conversation, while keeping the rest on the people who were now and then throwing glances at her.

"My father and mother got new jobs in town." 

Shusuke-sensei moved back in time to the war of Rukongai, and Hinamori took notes furiously for an excuse to avoid Hitsugaya's attempt to small talk. The class was dull, and she already knew most of the information, but if she made a good impression now, Shusuke-sensei was more likely to cut her some slack later. 

Hitsugaya's silence lasted only until the bell. "How'd you hurt your arm?" he asked as Hinamori awkwardly shuffled papers into her bag after class. She had completely forgotten about the car accident last week.

"Glass cut." She half-lied effortlessly. "Just a broken cup, nothing big."

As she lifted her shoulder bag, she wondered how in the world people could possible carry their bags around all day. 

"Do you need help with that?" Hitsugaya offered, gesturing to the bag. "What class do you have next?"

"Chemistry." She answered. "I can handle it."

"I didn't mean to suggest you couldn't," Hitsugaya responded smoothly. "You just shouldn't have to bother. I've got biology next, anyway so our classes are near each other." 

She examined his expression, but he appeared sincere. For whatever his reasons, he was honestly trying to play the part of an unusually polite teenage boy. She didn't want to make a scene, so she surrendered her bag, and Hitsugaya carried it without effort.

"Thanks." She forced out, glad the words sounded sincere.

Through her chemistry class was blessedly less awkward but people still stared; Hitsugaya's friend was in her art class for the third block of the day. Hinamori's skills with clay were minimal; she had signed up for this class mainly so she could do something low stress without homework. She'd be lucky if she could make a ball. Matsumoto, on the other hand, had a great deal of talent, which helped Hinamori place her in a way that the girl's aura from before was definitely not those of the unfriendly ones. 

"That's really impressive," Hinamori offered, surprised to find her words completely swept of bashfulness. Matsumoto was crafting a young man's figure in the soft clay, humming quietly to herself as she worked. He sat upon a rustic bench, a violin perched on his shoulder. The bow was a fine coil of clay supported by a piece of wire at its neck. 

"Thanks." She smiled, looking back at the form. "But I can't get the face quite right." She indicated the shapeless globe where the features should be, surrounded by carefully etched hair.

"Better than mine."

Matsumoto laughed lightly. "Considering you just started today, and you're only working with your left hand, it's not bad."

Matsumoto carefully wrapped her figure in plastic so it would not dry, and then shifted over to offer suggestions on Hinamori's project, which was a sickly-looking clay dog. They worked together for the last ten minutes of class. 

"You could put a wire in his tail so it wouldn't fall like that. What kind of dog is it?" Matsumoto asked. Hinamori shrugged. "I don't really know." 

"It could kind of look like a Lab, if you squared off the nose," the girl suggested. Under Matsumoto's expert assistance the smooth white clay turned into an almost-recognizable animal.

"What do you have next?" Matsumoto asked as they packed the dog in plastic.

"Lunch, I think." 

"Great! You're with Toushiro and me." 

The girl's exuberance was infectious, but still Hinamori hesitated at her implied invitation. She could be sociable during class, but there were times when she just wanted to be alone. 

Still, Matsumoto walked with her through the halls, and even followed Hinamori to her locker when she tried to use an excuse to drop her new friend as much as she disliked it or not. Inside the locker, on the top shelf, Hinamori noticed something she had not put there: a white piece of paper, on which a profile had been drawn carefully in pencil. She immediately recognized the figure as herself; her hair spilled over her shoulders and onto her the desk as she wrote. 

Matsumoto just shrugged when she saw the drawing and gave an understanding smile as Hinamori read the initials sighed in light script in the bottom corner. _HT. _It was from Hitsugaya, he has probably drawn it while sitting right next to her in history class. She slammed her locker door and then she was being led to a cafeteria filled with unknown students, but to her surprise the one table she was being led to was filled with most people. 

She had registered less than half of the faces but most of the names which she had no clue belong to whom. The table was a friendly group which was a major relieve for her, but when she glanced around the cafeteria, eyes were all on her; girls with evil glares along with flirtatious and libidinous stares from the guys.She took in a ragged breath of air and sat down. She hadn't realized that she sat straight across from him when he slipped a piece of napkin across the table to her; she read the napkin which had a list of _his _friends' names. She looked up at him as he smirked then winked at her. She gave him an innocent smile. _And just when I had been trying to ignore him. _


	2. Second Hint

Chapter 2

_Kurosaki, Ichigo_

_Kuchiki, Rukia_

_Inoue, Orihime_

_Yasutora, Sado (Chad) _

_Ishida, Uryu_

_Abarai, Renji_

_Asano, Keigo_

_Kojima, Mizuiro_

_Arisawa, Tatsuki_

_Honsho, Chizuru_

_Kunieda, Ryo_

_Natsui, Mahana_

_Ogawa, Michiru_

Hinamori read the list but stopped short after she was beginning to have a headache after she couldn't go pass the half point. "So how was sculpture?" Hitsugaya asked. 

"Much more interesting than Shusuke-sensei's history lecture," Hinamori answered vaguely. She hesitated as she glanced around the table, but no one seemed to notice her unlike the rest of the cafeteria. 

"Hey Rangiku…" a blonde boy seated not to far away from Matsumoto had spoken from amongst a group of people from a separate table, but he hesitated when he saw Hinamori. She recognized him as Kira, Izuru; a boy from her English class. He gave her a welcoming but shy smile. He turned back to Matsumoto. "I was wondering…if you're going to the dance this weekend."

Matsumoto looked from Kira to Hinamori. "I am going stag this weekend actually, next time for sure." 

"Oh, um…" he paused, then said something hurriedly that might have been, "See you there," before he got up from his table and slipped into the mass of students.

"What was that about?" Hinamori asked as soon as the boy was gone. 

"Kira usually goes after anything with two legs," the blonde beauty joked. 

Hinamori watched his shiny blonde hair bob through the crowd. Hitsugaya shrugged. 

"Don't worry, you're not missing much," he said lightly. "Kira has been hitting on Matsumoto ever since he saw her, and he's a royal pain." 

"Hey, he's a nice guy plus I only said no because someone's going to need company at the dance."

Hinamori did not brush off the interaction as lightly as Hitsugaya and Matsumoto, but she did allow them to change the subject, while her mind stayed focus on the current subject. _A dance. She mentally gulped._

Hinamori was an average human height, and well shaped from a high metabolism and a vigorous exercise routine. Her fair black hair was long that it fell down her back tangle free, and her chocolate brown eyes were stunning to most guys anyways. To top it off, her free-spirit was powerfully charismatic, and everyone was being drawn to it. Hinamori had received a lot of stares of attraction and number from strange guys, but she had _never _received glares from anyone. To sum it up, everyone liked her because of her bubbly personality, but at this school not every _girl _liked her. The only possibility she could think of was that those who didn't was somehow due to the fact that she fitted in quite quickly with the 'popular' and probably most attractive gang. Her thoughts brought her elsewhere and then trailed off with disgust. 

"Hinamori?" Hitsugaya's voice pulled her back to the real world. In her mind she played back the conversation she had missed. 

"Yeah, sure." Then, "Wait, no. I can't."

They had asked her if she was going to go to the dance the school was hosting on Saturday- the new school year dance, which according to Matsumoto was the only dance worth going to until the senior prom in spring. 

"Why not?" Hitsugaya asked, obviously disappointed. 

Matsumoto added, "If you're worried about a dress, I am sure we can find something for you, and they sell tickets at the door." 

"No, it's not that. It's just…I've got a family coming over that weekend and it's kind of an important occasion." 

"Shame," Hitsugaya sighed, slightly wistful. "Is it an occasion you want to go to, or is it something you can skip?"

_Actually it's neither of them because it's a funeral for my brother which I wish I could skip. But you're not suppose to know that. _

"I've got to go," Hinamori said abruptly.

Her friends seemed startled, but they didn't try to stop her. "See you later," Hitsugaya said amiably. "Yeah…maybe." She hoped not.

Hinamori slept poorly that night. It was nearly three o'clock when she finally drifted into sleep, and even then she was restless, plagued by nightmares. By the time she got to school, she felt less like a leopard and more like a slug. It was a pity because she should have drank that cup off coffee that sat on the kitchen table before she left.

It took her three tries to get the combination to her locker right, as she was about to open her locker door three girls passed by. One shouldering her, another slamming her locker door shut, and the last one snapped her lock shut again as it was hooked on to the door hole and then just said "Oops." Hinamori didn't even bother to say or do anything as she re-opened her locker door and as she tossed in her coat, she managed to knock something from the top shelf.

The vase shattered upon impact with the dirty school floor, scattering water, glass, and three white roses. The sound of breaking glass drove a shiver up Hinamori's spine, bringing back all too vividly her dream from the night before. 

Memories of her brother's death haunted her sleep, though she tried to forget that day, to perfect her control the way her father and mother had, she wasn't strong enough, and she never had been. 

It was only a week ago; she had stumbled into her brother's car drunk. Laughing at everything he said most of them being just one word._Quiet, Stop, Shush, and Sleep. _She remembered waking up in the hospital, bandaged, and wired to machines in a white room. Her father had dealt with the news calmly as her mother had, but Hinamori's brother was everything to her and when she saw his cold, blood covered body, she had lost control. 

She had screamed at the top of her lungs; thrown objects even hitting a window, demolishing it pane by pane until her father had dragged her away, horrified not by his sons' death, but his daughter's reaction. 

They had moved a week later, both as a punishment and for them all to have a fresh start but mostly for her to forget about the past in Honshu Town. She had healed slowly due to her three broken fingers and numerous lacerations on her hand and arm. Her reflexes, or even most of her strength, the loss had left her shaken and herself meaningless. The weakness had terrified her ever since, she even shunned away from her friends, and kept distance away from the outside world even communication was lost. Her parents had packed her things for her for a week, ignoring her screams and shouts as they dragged her and locked her out so she couldn't get back into her room. 

Shuddering away from the memory, Hinamori dragged herself back to the present. Ignoring the glass, she carefully picked up the roses and the card that had been tied to the vase with a white ribbon.

The white blooms were beautiful, perfect, with the sweet scent that so many long-stemmed roses lacked. A picture done in professional charcoal accompanied them- a pair of eyes framed with the pale lashes Hinamori saw every time she looked into a mirror. She read the poem at least ten times before she even reached class, and finally resolved to speak to Hitsugaya. 

_Like chocolates sweetly melting away my soul as I am hypnotized,_

_A crystalline soul full of innocence and warmth,_

_A laughter that never quite reaches inside,_

_Where secrets grow like untouched roses. _

The words were beautiful-and truer than Hitsugaya realized. If he had known even the slightest of Hinamori's past, he would have never spoken to her in the first place.

She steeled herself to talk to him by the time she reached her history class, only to have Shusuke-sensei immediately divide them into groups for projects. Her group consisted of two humans whom she already recognized as Abarai, Renji, Kuchiki, Rukia along with the mysterious Mitsuki, Taeko from this morning who was not hiding her hostility any better today. 

"What eating _you_?" Rukia demanded after she shot down yet another of their ideas. "If you don't want to help, then just keep your mouth shut. Don't make _your _bad day _mine._" 

By the time the class was over Hinamori was glad to get away from Taeko- the girl had been putting out waves of contempt and distrust strong enough that they were making her stomach churn. She would need to speak to her soon, but not here, not in front of others. 

She had calmed down slightly by art class, where she continued to work on the sickly dog Matsumoto had named Splotch. Matsumoto had finished her figure. Under her expert hands, the violinist gained clear features, sympathetic eyes, and a wicked, sensual smile. 

"Someone you know?" Hinamori asked. The face was so vivid, so alive, she felt lie she should recognize it. Matsumoto nodded, pausing in her work. "Yeah." Her voice was soft, sad. 

"Who is he?"

"Someone I used to love. His name is Gin. Anyway, it's over," Matsumoto stated. "I miss him sometimes, but…it's over."

"Then why are you sculpting him?" 

"He is beautiful," the girl said wistfully. Then she jumped as the bell rang for lunch. They didn't speak as they cleaned up, and Matsumoto stayed behind to talk to the teacher while Hinamori swung by her locker. Inside she found another present from Hitsugaya- a picture of her left hand, which she had been writing with since she had broken her right arm.

Her nails were cut short; there was a small scar on the back from the glass where she had been cut apparently during the accident on the day her brother had died. It looked like a tear drop. On the back of the drawing was another poem. 

_Skin like a soft peach, perfect; a goddess, she must be._

_Slender fingers, unadorned; beautiful simplicity._

_A single tear drop; when did it fall?_

_Could this goddess be true, after all?_

_If only he knew. _She thought dryly. That scar was left over from the least perfect moment of her life. Yet somehow Hitsugaya made the flaw beautiful, no longer a badge of her past, but a mystery for an artist to unravel.


	3. Third Wheel

**I've been updating quite a lot because my spring break is like over in 3 days so I am trying to get this story going plus I am also rushing to finish 'Secret Affections' which you should check out. :) ****It will most likely be done in about 2 or 3 more chapters, so I'll be re-updating that very soon. As I said my spring break is almost over so I won't have that much time to update or review for stories. Anyways thanks to those who've been reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting my stories! Love you guys! And I hope you all keep up with my updates. Read, Enjoy & Review!**

Chapter 3

"Hitsugaya…are these from you?" she asked at lunch, careful to make her tone light as she placed the two-picture poems on the table. Hitsugaya's eyes fell to them and he smiled.

"Yes."

He didn't ask if she liked them, and he didn't seem embarrassed. Hinamori was flattered, and somewhat surprised by Hitsugaya's confidence. Even so, her natural suspicion surfaced. "Why?"

"Because," he answered seriously, "you make a good subject. Your hair, for one is like a shimmering waterfall. It's so fair that it catches the light. It makes you seem like you have a halo above your head. And your eyes- they're such a pure colour, not washed out at all, deep and mesmerizing. And your expression…intense yet somehow detached, as if you see more of the world than the rest of us."

Flustered, she could think of no way to respond. _Did he just say this stuff from the top of his head? _Meanwhile Matsumoto entered the cafeteria. She started to sit, but glanced from the pictures to Hitsugaya; to Hinamori then she started to back away. "Should I go somewhere else?"

Hitsugaya nodded to a chair, answering easily. "Sit down. We aren't exchanging dark secrets- yet."

Matsumoto flashed a teasing look at her friend as she took a seat. "As your friend, I feel the need to inform you, Momo that Toushirou has been talking about you incessantly."

Hitsugaya smirked, unembarrassed. "I suppose I might have been."

"Especially about your eyes- he never shuts up about your eyes." Matsumoto confided, and this time Hitsugaya shrugged.

"They're beautiful," he said casually. "Beauty should be looked at, not ignored. I try to capture it on paper, but that's really impossible with eyes because they have a life no still portrait can capture."

Hinamori's voice was tied up so tightly that she might have been able to speak again sometime next year. No one had ever talked about her- or to her- with such admiration. _Well even if I know it's obvious, people NEVER say it out loud. _

Luckily, Matsumoto changed the subject. "Toushirou is an incredible artist, but he refuses to take classes."

Hitsugaya laughed, shaking his head. "I draw when I see something I need to draw; I can't draw on command. Matsumoto convinced me to try an art class once, and I failed it."

They talked casually for the rest of lunch. Hinamori found herself relaxing in their company as they told jokes and teased one another good-naturedly. Visions of shattered glass faded from her mind, replaced by light banter. _They're so kind, yet why do I feel the need to stay away from them? _

"Momo?" The voice behind her left shoulder was questioning, a bit sharp.

"Mitsuki, Taeko." Hinamori whispered under her breath. The muscles in her neck clenched so tightly she felt like they would tear when she turned her head.

"Can I talk to you, it's about the project." Mitsuki's tone was pleasant, so it wouldn't make the others who were intently watching her suspicious. But the expression that glittered in her eyes was dangerous.

"Hinamori…" Hitsugaya's voice held a little bit of concern.

"I'll be right back." Hinamori gathered her stuff, leaving the two pictures on the table so as not to draw Mitsuki's attention to them, and followed the girl into the hall.

"So I see you've made yourself comfortable."

"There just my _friends, _plus I thought we were talking about the project." Hinamori answered, forcing herself to be calm despite the fact that now she was being cornered by Mitsuki's other two friends from the previous day.

"I didn't give you permission to talk." Mitsuki answered instantly. Her sight whipped to the cafeteria and Hinamori knew that both Hitsugaya and Matsumoto were still watching their conversation. "Let's take this outside, shall we?"

Mitsuki and company led Hinamori to the back of the school.

"You don't belong here. You don't have any friends, so why don't you just pack you bags and get because _he _doesn't belong to you."

Hinamori clenched her fists underneath her sleeves that were too long. But she kept her expression cool.

"What give you the right to tell me what to do?" Hinamori spat; glaring.

"You little-"

"Hey!" All four girls turned their heads to see another boy approaching them. Hinamori didn't have time to react as she was suddenly grabbed by Mitsuki's friends and pinned against the brick wall. And then abruptly Mitsuki's hand shot out and she slapped Hinamori straight across the face. Hinamori felt the pressure on her arms loosen but not before a knee was lodged into her stomach. She felt the air escape her lungs from the impact. She fell to the ground but she caught herself as threw her arms forward. Mitsuki and company fled the scene.

"Are you okay?" the boy who had caught sight of the scene was at Hinamori's side. She couldn't see his face as she was still facing the ground. She struggled to her feet, but the boy caught her arm to help her up.

"Thanks…" Hinamori's voice got caught in her throat as she started at the boy before her. _No way. _They both stared at each other with wide eyes, but that was only for a moment until Hinamori heard footsteps approaching her from behind and then she started to run to the other building.

"Hinamori!" Hitsugaya called to her, but she ignored him.

She immediately entered the first girls' washroom in the main building and leaned over the sink; thankful that there wasn't anyone else. She caught sight of herself only for an instant until Matsumoto burst through the door. Hinamori immediately dashed for a stall, slamming the door shut.

"Momo, what happened? Are you alright?!" Matsumoto was pounding on the door trying to shove it open as Hinamori leaned against it with all her weight.

"Go away!" She cried.

"Why? What did Mitsuki do to you? Did she hurt you? Open the damn door Momo!"

Matsumoto's pounding decreased as everything fell into silence only the girl's ragged breathing was heard. The bell had rung.

"Momo let us help you. Please…" Matsumoto's plead was only above a whisper.

Hinamori had her eyes closed tightly as her tears fell down her cheek slowly at first then she broke out in cries. Matsumoto was able to push the door open slowly as not to injure the poor girl farther. She stared at her petite friend in shock.

"Oh god…" She whispered.

"Matsumoto, is she okay?" Hitsugaya's voice was blocked by the door.

"Um…" her voice evident of uncertainty.

"I am coming in."

"Dude…that's the _girls' _washroom." Another unfamiliar voice was followed by Hitsugaya's. "The bell has rung everyone's in class."

The door squeaked open as the boys slowly tip-toed inside, but Hinamori just cried more into Matsumoto's chest. Matsumoto shot Hitsugaya a surprised yet disgusted look. Hinamori felt Hitsugaya's hand lightly on her shoulder but she shook it off as she crept closer to Matsumoto.

"Hinamori, we're here to help you." His voice was calm and comforting. After a moment of deliberation, she finally lifted her head but what she found wasn't what she expected on Matsumoto's uniform were spots of blood. Her eyes went from her friend back to her uniform then she spun around to Hitsugaya. Only to have him and the new guy stare back with wide eyes, but Hitsugaya's expression turned troubled. Hinamori turned her head to the mirror and her left cheek was covered in blood now running along her neck. Mitsuki had not only slapped her across the face but she had also scratched her as well. Hinamori reached to touch the wound, but Hitsugaya stopped her.

"You'll infect it." Hinamori winced at his touch as she looked at her hands which were covered in dirt and blood from the contact when she caught herself on the ground. Her eyes flashed to the person behind Hitsugaya, and she glared at him. But he gave her a sheepish smile.

"We have to hurry up and clean her, we're already late for class." The new guy spoke up his voice sadden with worry.

They made haste at cleaning her wounds ignoring her complains and reactions as she pulled away. "Don't move." Hitsugaya instructed as he cleaned her hand while Matsumoto gently dabbed at her face.

"Finally, we're done." Matsumoto sighed with relief. She packed away the extra bandages she had in her bag. "Now let's head to Physical Ed."

Hitsugaya took Hinamori's wrist and led her out of the washroom while Matsumoto took care of her other belongings.

"Thanks for keeping watch Mitsuru." Hitsugaya thanked the new guy who just nodded in approval. Coincidently all four of them happened to have fourth class together.

"You're all 15 minutes late!" Yoruichi-sensei yelled.

"And what happened to you Momo?!"

"It's nothing." She mumbled back.

"Well get to the other side you're all on Team B."

She hustled them to the other side of the gym. She read out the instructions of the game but no one paid attention because the game was simple- throw, hit, and dodge. Then she blew the whistle. People were getting set to the side like flies. Hinamori caught sight of someone on the opposite team. She smirked and then whipped the ball and hit the person smack on the back of the head.

"Hey!" Mitsuki turned around.

"Who the hell threw that?!"

Matsumoto just stared at Hinamori in surprise as the girl spun a ball on her finger. The teacher yelled at Mitsuki to get off the court as she apparently was using her head instead of her hands.

"Nice shot." Hitsugaya said.

"Even though my hands are injured that doesn't mean that I can't throw I just can't really catch."

'Team B wins!" Yoruichi-sensei blew the whistle and sent them off the changing rooms. As Hinamori and Matsumoto were heading for the change rooms a red ball flew past between their heads. They turned around to see Mitsuki fuming. She was about to launch another one but she was hit once again in the back of the head. Hinamori, Matsumoto, and Mitsuki turned to see Hitsugaya smirking.

"Hey, Mitsuki today's game was _Dodge Ball_!"

Students who were watching the scene burst out laughing even Matsumoto was laughing hysterically, Hinamori giggled and smiled as she looked across the gym, Hitsugaya just winked and went to into the guys' change room.

Hinamori quickly left the change room after school to avoid seeing someone. But to her dismay he was waiting by her locker. _Mitsuru, Nichika. _He was leaning casually against her locker.

"What do you want?" she asked irritated.

"What not even gonna give me a nice 'Hi, it's nice to see you again."

"Why should I?" Hinamori snapped.

"Just to inform you I've been invited to tag along with you and your friends to the upcoming dance this weekend."

Hinamori didn't even need an explanation of who invited him, but this made her decision easy. _I just won't go then. _

"And I don't have a date-"

"Don't even think about it Nichika." She answered immediately.

"Who said I was asking you?"

"Well who else would you be asking?" she snapped.

"Matsumoto, Rangiku."

_Ha! Good luck with that. She's already going 'stag.' _ Hinamori collected her calculus textbook, coat, and bag before slamming her locker door shut. "Well hope you have fun getting rejected."

"Aren't you coming with us?" he asked as she was already walking down the hall.

"Why would I because my weekend has already been ruined!" she yelled back down the hall.

"Because a certain Hitsugaya, Toushirou just told me that he'd ask you!"

Hinamori paused at the doors, and turned around as she saw Mitsuru standing at the other end. _What but…but I told them I wouldn't go. _Hinamori threw opened the doors and proceeded quickly down the stairs then sped walk all the way home. At home, she was sitting on her bed before she found his next gift tucked into her calculus notebook; she had no idea when he had managed to slip it there. It was another drawing- her, dressed in a pale gown. Above her outstretched left hand, the sun and the moon were suspended; she held the earth in her right hand. A sash was tied about her waist, embroidered with stars. In elegant script, another poem had been written down the page on the figure's left side.

_Fantasy, a shining goddess,_

_ She controls the tides._

_ Fantasy, a brilliant goddess._

_ She controls our lives._

_ Fantasy, a golden goddess-_

_ In her hands is the light._

_ Fantasy, a silver goddess-_

_ In her hands is the night._

She found the other picture poems which she had left on the lunch table also tucked into her notebook, and along the bottom was a question- _Will you go to the dance with me? _Hinamori got up and tucked the card and poems into her desk. Next time she saw Hitsugaya she would tell him that she wasn't going to go to the dance. She would tell him the truth about why she couldn't be with him, and he would be able to leave her alone without getting hurt.


	4. Hindered

Chapter 4

"Momo, is something wrong?" Matsumoto asked the next day during art class.

"Toushirou told me you were avoiding him all yesterday afternoon…he was sure he had done something to offend you."

_Hitsugaya? Offended?_ She doubted he was capable of such a thing.

Hinamori grasped at, and then lost, a handy lie. "Look, I…it's nothing really, okay?" Hinamori said awkwardly. "I can't really explain."

"That's fine." Matsumoto's voice was soft, understanding. "If it's none of my business, I am not going to be a pain. But just don't ditch Toushirou- he's a nice guy, and he deserves an explanation if you're not interested."

By the time Hinamori saw Hitsugaya at lunch, her resolve to reject him had wavered. He greeted her with a smile and hello, not asking about her efforts to ignore him the day before.

"Hey, I am sorry about yesterday-"

"No big deal," Hitsugaya answered easily. "I was kind of worried about you, but…well if you're talking to me again today, it couldn't have been anything too awful."

"I am sorry anyway." But his light words and easy confidence made Hinamori smile. "Hitsugaya-"

"Look, we've got to duck out soon to meet with our partners about that history project," Matsumoto apologized before Hinamori could finish her sentence. "Are you sure you aren't going to the dance this weekend, Momo? It'll be a lot of fun."

Hinamori shook her head. Her mother and father would throw a fit if she missed the funeral. "I really can't." She debated asking them to meet up with her after the project, somewhere private where she could tell them and be done with it, but they were already on their way out before she could make up her mind.

Hitsugaya touched Hinamori's shoulder as he walked by, a casual gesture that nevertheless made her flinch. His touched seemed to paralyze her in her current spot. If he noticed the withdrawal, Hitsugaya did not react to it.

"Catch you later."

"Yeah."

A test kept them from talking in that afternoon's calculus class, but Hitsugaya caught Hinamori afterwards.

"How'd it go?"

The girl rolled her eyes skyward.

"Math is not my thing." Changing the subject, Hitsugaya said, "I've got to meet Matsumoto before her drama club meeting ends, so I can't talk long, but…well, since you can't go to the dance, I was wondering if you might want to go for lunch on Saturday."

"I don't know." She _did_ know, actually and the answer was 'absolutely not.' Spending time with her friends at school, was one thing; but spending more time with them otherwise, when she was suppose to unpack her belongings and find a suitable outfit before the funeral then help make preparations was twisting her curfews and schedule further than she could even rationalize.

"Give me a call sometime okay?" He jotted down his number on a piece of scrap paper, and then hurried away to meet Matsumoto.

Hinamori skimmed the paper after Hitsugaya left, and tucked it into her pocket.

Nine o'clock that evening found Hinamori on the phone, trying without success to get through to Hitsugaya or Matsumoto. Matsumoto was right- they both deserved more than a simple brush-off. She had decided to call, arrange a time when they would talk, and tell them what was going on with her family.

_Beep…beep…beep…_

The sickly B-flat of the busy signal slicked through her yet again, as it had every time she had heard it over the last two hours.

She hung up the phone with a sigh, and pulled the local yellow pages to find the Hitsugayas' or Matsumotos' address. Her mind was made up, and she didn't want to waste anymore time chickening out again. She patted her coat's pocket to make sure her keys were in place.

As she drove, she instinctively found herself headed towards Hitsugaya's place even though Matsumoto's place was closer. As she parked in Hitsugaya's driveway, she thought she heard faint music from the house, but it might have been her imagination. Bracing herself she knocked on the door.

Someone Hinamori did not know opened the door. He didn't even bother to ask who she was. "Come on in." he greeted her. Hinamori could only realize what was going on. She had just walked in on a bash.

"Thanks" she answered, dazed. She decided to turn back around.

"Sorry but I think I have the wrong house…"

The guy who had opened the door was in his late 20s and began talking again.

"Okay then…who invited you-?"

"Hinamori?" She turned as she saw a shadow approach from behind her. The guy who had been talking wandered off. "Hinamori…we would have invited you, but…."

She could guess his thoughts. _Don't expect like me to be allowed to come over to a party because of her regular habits of rejection. _

"You don't have to explain," Hinamori offered an attempt to save him the unease of beginning a conversation that would either offend her or be considered as rude. She could sense Hitsugaya's shock even through his deep turquoise eyes.

"I don't?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Matsumoto pull away from the person she was apparently 'making-out' with. And she almost felt like the air was knocked out her and she bit her lip to stop from grimacing. _Mitsuru, Nichika_. Hinamori almost gagged. The girl looked up, and her eyes widened as she saw Momo standing there through the crowd. She blushed, and wiped the smear of lipstick from the side of her mouth.

"Why don't we take this upstairs?" Hitsugaya suggested before taking a glance at Matsumoto.

"Sounds good," Hinamori answered. Hitsugaya led the way, and Hinamori saw Matsumoto quickly snatch a few candies, chocolates and a napkin from the table next to a couch before the wall cut her off from view.

A few moments, the three gathered in Hitsugaya's room, which was apparently closed off. Hinamori hesitated in the doorway as Matsumoto and Hitsugaya made their way inside. It was still unexpected to see how organized he was, no scattering of schoolbooks that littered the desk or dirty laundry. He was astonishingly clean. Besides a composition book that had been tossed casually in a corner midst a flurry of crumpled paper and pens. The pastel green walls were decorated with pictures carefully drawn with black pastels, paintings of beautiful detailed landscapes, or previous class photos.

"Well then, do you often go to bashes?" Matsumoto asked from the perch of Hitsugaya's bed.

"When I can." Hinamori answered truthfully, wondering how-and if- she should ease into the topic she had come to discuss.

_Stop stalling, Hinamori, _she ordered herself.

"Anyways I came to tell you guys something…"

Then the phone rang, Hinamori twitched.

"Hold on just a minute." Matsumoto chimed as she picked up the phone and fell backwards onto Hitsugaya's bed. "Hello?"

She paused. "Why are you calling?" her current happy-go-lucky mood completely washed away. "I told you to stop calling me." She immediately slammed the phone down.

"Gin…" she groaned. Hinamori paused. "The one you told me about in art class?"

"Yeah." Matsumoto threw her hand over her forehead. During Matsumoto's short conversation with her ex, Hinamori slid to the floor beside Hitsugaya who was apparently playing with a deck of cards. She motioned for him to shuffle the deck and just start any game.

"He was my…first love. Well only love." Matsumoto said hesitantly. She glanced at her best friend, who just shrugged.

"If you want to tell it, it's your story," he pointed out.

"We grew up in Aomori in Japan," Matsumoto began softly. "My father worked at a nearby plantation and I took care of the owner's two daughters, while Gin worked for one of the other wealthy families next door. We weren't rich but I was happy. My mother died when she had given birth to my brother when he was very young, and I more or less raised him."

With a sigh, she continued, "Gin had an artistic family. I was their 'singer', though both he and my brother both got along and had talents in that area too. My brother wrote the songs, and poetry. Every word he wrote would bring tears to your eyes."

"That what damned us- music and art," Matsumoto went on. "Because it drew Gin to me. He was a musician. If he hadn't learned about my talent, he would have never given me more than a passing glance. As it was, he fell in love with me…and me with him." That admission sounded painful.

When she continued, her voice was barely more than a whisper. "For a while our relationship was great, but that was only until I caught him with…someone else." With difficulty Matsumoto explained, "The woman did not have time to leave before I interrupted, they didn't do intimate things Gin explained their situation to me but they seemed very _close._"

Her voice wavered as she confessed. "I forgave him, and even came to love him more. Then he asked me if I was able to give everything to him, but I told him I wasn't ready that I just needed time." Matsumoto took a deep breath to keep herself composed. A hint of anger entered her voice, overlaid with sorrow.

"I thought for a while that we could continue as before, but we argued about the littlest things and we constantly had fights. I decided to end it, so that's exactly what I did, but that was before I found out that both my father and brother had passed away from sickness. Gin had come to the funeral but left shortly after; disappearing from my life. Then I came to Karakura Town, and I've been with Toushirou ever since then."

The silence hung heavy, everyone obviously contemplating the painful history. Hinamori's mind drifted back to her purpose here, but she couldn't tell them now. Not when they had just opened up their hearts to her. She couldn't betray a trust like that, even if she hadn't asked for it.

No one seemed to know exactly how to get over the conversation, so Hinamori got up and walked around the room for a bit after she had lost many rounds to Hitsugaya. Once again she noticed the composition book.

"Why do you guys still keep memories of the past?" She asked. "If it hurts so much?" She didn't want to think of how long they locked up their pains.

"If you spend too much time away from the ones who are important to you, you'll forget who you are. But that doesn't mean you can't still be _that_ self by experiencing new things with _others._"

Matsumoto continued with what sounded like forced brightness, "It's nice to actually experience the world for a bit, even if you do carry those burdens. They'll mend with the help of your friends, though I could imagine us in a place more glamorous than high school." With a brief glance to some flyers on a black desk, she added, "Speaking of, are you sure you won't come to the dance? You'll be missing out on a lot of fun."

Hinamori started to argue, but instead just shrugged. _What the hell, _she thought; _I can do at least one thing can't I? _Her mother would be furious if she couldn't make it to the funeral, but the dance would be starting later enough for her to get dressed, set up, re-change and head out for the dance. As Matsumoto had said it was nice to be in the human crowd for a while. She heard herself answer, "Sure I'll find a way to come."

**Authors Note: Well, I'll be back to my regular updating schedule which means I'll be updating like maybe 1-3 times a month. It all depends since school's back on! (Gotta hate school seriously). Any who ****R&R! I'd really appreciate it & look forward to all your support in my future updates! Arigatou!  
**


	5. I Want You to Want Me

**Just a little note, there's going to be a song in this chapter so I suggest you input it when the lyrics come in because when I was listening to it, I totally got the sudden urge to dance. :D Anywho it's up to you; the song is I want you to want me by Letters to Cleo****. **

Chapter 5

_Saturday Night, _Hinamori wrote a note to her mother: _I'll be attending the dance at school, but I'll be back before mid-night. Momo._

She dressed carefully, adding a hint of makeup, and pinned a thin silky white scarf that draped around her shoulders. She met up with Hitsugaya, Matsumoto and Mitsuru just outside the door to the gym.

"Momo, you look great!" Matsumoto exclaimed.

Matsumoto's full skirts bellowed around her as she crossed the floor. She was dressed in a red-coloured renaissance-style gown that laced up at the back and showed off her perfect figure. Hitsugaya had worn a pure-black silk jacket with a white undershirt and regular blue jeans which made her feel over dressed. Hinamori didn't even bother to pass a glance towards Mitsuru.

Hinamori wore the same dress she wore for her graduation ceremony in seventh grade, a light, pink cotton gown that flowed around her legs when she moved. Her hair was pinned up with sparkling peach coloured clips letting her soft shiny hair cascade over her shoulders. Around her waist a matching silky peach ribbon that tied around her waist in a bow that continued to run along the lower half of her dress. The silky white scarf was embroidered with silver stars, and had been stuffed somewhere in the back of her closet. She had not worn it for a very long time; it had been a gift from her sister, before Tomoe had given up such frivolous things like sisterly teasing and birthday presents in order to follow in her mother's maternally steps after she had gotten married.

The constellations on the barely worn scarf reminded Hinamori of the picture Hitsugaya had drawn. Since she could hardly go around holding planets, she wore sun and moon earrings.

When the four met up outside the gym, Hitsugaya's eyes said he recognized her outfit. As they entered the dance together, Matsumoto immediately dragged Mitsuru elsewhere. Leaving Hinamori alone with Hitsugaya, she glanced over at him from her peripheral vision, he was smirking at her, and she just blushed and gave him a sheepish smile.

A slow song started, and Hitsugaya cocked an eyebrow and this time he smiled. "Want to dance?" he asked as he reached for her hand. Before she could think it through she answered. "Sure."

The crowd of students was so thick she couldn't think properly as Hitsugaya dragged her through the crowd. They stopped just a few steps away from the centre. Without dropping Hinamori's hand, Hitsugaya raised their locked hands and with his other he placed it just above her hip as she placed her right hand on his shoulder. They began to slowly sway to the music, slowly going around and around. Never leaving eye contact he pulled her closer to him and dropped his hands and then his arms were around her waist. She hesitated then wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Did I tell you that you look beautiful?" he whispered into her ear.

"No, but so are you."

"Thanks for coming."

She leant her forehead on his shoulder so he couldn't tell what emotion was running through her. "I only came to tell you that, you and me, can't go anywhere beyond friendship. It just can't."

He didn't respond for a few seconds but she didn't realize it as her words were slowly tarring at her heart strings, one by one they felt like they were being cut. She didn't know that it'd hurt so much to say these words out loud. She tightened her hold around his neck, now completely closing that gap between them.

"Then you should have worn a different dress." He replied, his breath hot on her neck. She closed her eyes never lifting her head as they kept on dancing, fresh tears slid down her cheeks and dripped to the floor.

"Look, I've already made mistakes, I don't want to make then worse." Her voice was cracking, but Hitsugaya didn't seem to tell as the music was blocking out her voice.

She moved her head, wiping her tears on his suit. Then she looked up at him as a new song came on. "There are things you don't know, okay? Oh, God. How do I tell you this?"

"Momo, there you are, come on let's dance. I just love this song!" Matsumoto yelled as she grabbed her arm making her release her hold on Hitsugaya. She was beginning to get dragged away from him.

"Rangiku, wait!" Matsumoto paused as Hinamori went back through the crowd as she found Hitsugaya she took his hand. "Dance with me."

Matsumoto was already dancing with Mitsuru as Hitsugaya and Hinamori joined them, their other friends surrounded them.

"Hey Momo, you made it are you enjoying yourself?!" Orihime chimed as everyone was now jumping to the beat of the song. Hinamori just nodded and Orihime was dragged off by Ishida. Now all the girls were heading to the middle of the crowd.

"Hinamori come sing with us!" Every girl of Hitsugaya's friends were all lined up and dancing or singing to the song on a stage. _Oh god. _Hinamori thought as she was pulled onto stage, Hitsugaya following after her. All of Hitsugaya's friends were taking up the stage; the guys jumping to the beat while the girls sung along with another new song.

_**Matsumoto:**_

_I want you to want me  
I need you to need me  
I'd love you to love me  
I'm beggin' you to beg me_

_**Hinamori**_

_I want you to want me  
I need you to need me  
I'd love you to love me_

_**Rukia**_

_I'll shine up my old brown shoes  
Put on a brand new shirt  
Get home early from work  
If you say that you love me_

_**Tatsuki:**_

_Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'_

_**Orihime:**_

_Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'  
Feeling all alone without a friend you know you feel like dying_

_**Tatsuki:**_

_Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'_

_**Matsumoto:**_

_I want you to want me  
I need you to need me  
I'd love you to love me  
I'm beggin' you to beg me_

_**Rukia:**_

_I'll shine up my old brown shoes  
Put on a brand new shirt  
Get home early from work  
If you say that you love me_

_**Orihime:**_

_Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'_

_**Tatsuki:**_

_Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'_

_**Hinamori:**_

_Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'  
Feeling all alone without a friend you know you feel like dying  
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'_ _Hey!_

_**Everyone:**_

_Feeling all alone without a friend you know you feel like dying  
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'_

_**Orihime, Rukia, and Tatsuki:**_

_I want you to want me  
I need you to need me  
I'd love you to love me  
I'm beggin' you to beg me_

_**Hinamori and Matsumoto:**_

_I want you to want me  
I want you to want me  
I want you to want me  
I want you to want me_

The crowd was wild, the gym filled with screams as they drained out the claps, all were cheering. Hinamori immediately fled off stage as everyone was shoving while others were scrambling to get on. She met Hitsugaya on the side.

"How'd I do?!" she yelled over the screams.

"I never knew you could rock like that, it was great!"

"I didn't see you up there!"

"I don't dance, well at least dance like that!" He admitted, unembarrassed.

Hinamori blushed. She and her girl friends had completely lost themselves to the music. Suddenly she was glomped from behind.

"Wow, Hinamori you rocked the stage!" Matsumoto screamed into her ear.

"Yeah, you did great!"

"It was a lot of fun..."

The comments were being shattered by the music. Hinamori's friends separated to their respective partners. Hinamori sighed as she grabbed Hitsugaya's hand and they went outside. She leaned against the wall, panting as Hitsugaya watched her in amusement. The moon was full as the air was cold and crisp that it bit at her skin as she shivered.

They joked and laughed as the time passed by; Hinamori began to kick the gravel with the tip of her open-toed heels as they ran out of things to talk about so Hitsugaya closed his eyes. Hinamori started at him her suspicion surfacing.

"Tell me what you're thinking." She whispered.

Hitsugaya didn't open his eyes but instead he instinctively grabbed her hand. She looked down at their hands which he was now entwining. After she looked up at him, she froze; turquoise eyes burning into milk chocolate.

"I was wondering how it felt like to kiss you." He whispered. Hinamori's eyes widened, her voice was caught in her throat. Her skin was numb, but her body was on fire. And then a flood of students burst out the doors, they didn't seem to notice the couple against the wall of the school. But Hinamori noticed their behaviour, _why is everyone running? _She looked at her watch. _There is still an hour left till the dance is over. _And that's when she heard it, screams, and then the sound of a gun.

**Authors Note: April fools! Sorry, I couldn't make them kiss; **_**yet**_**. Anyways I am pretty sure you're all like what about Hinamori's brothers' funeral? Well that's being explained in the next chapter, but I just felt like this chapter had to be more Hitsuhina centric. Anyway REVIEWS! ;) **


	6. Does Darkness Have A Name? Part 1

**Okay, first things first. This is yet another HitsuHina centric chapter. I decided to split this chapter with the next, so the confusions should be answered in the next chapter! Anyways Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 6

They watched the flood of students rushing out of the gym. Each terrified, confused, and pale not one of them knew where to run, until the teachers were beckoning them onto the school bus far to small to fit at least half of the students. Some students were rushing into their own vehicles. Hitsugaya cursed under his breath. "Hinamori, I need you to stay here. I'll be right back." He dropped her arms and fled into the gym building leaving her shaking, cold, and terrified form against the school.

_Clam down, calm down…_Hinamori bit her lip, closed her eyes, and repeatedly counted in her head as the minutes ticked by when Hitsugaya didn't return. Finally Hinamori heard someone approaching from behind her; she couldn't react as her vision was blackened by a piece of clothing or bag thrown over her head. Then she was being dragged off.

**_Meanwhile…_** Hitsugaya was leaning against the gym door as he peaked through the glass window. The place was completely vacant, no one was there, no sounds just a memory of a dance gone wrong. He kicked opened the door making the sound of door against wall echo throughout the gym, he quickly fled to the equipment room and grabbed the first object he found _a hockey stick. _Then he proceeded out the hallways of the gym towards the cafeteria below. The cafeteria was pitching black besides the light that was blinking rapidly off and on illuminating the shapes of the objects in the room. The glass cover from the light shattered across the floor; _this is probably where the shot was fired. _Hitsugaya swore under his breath before heading back upstairs through the doors where he no longer found Hinamori against the school's brick walls…

She struggled against the grip of her capturer, blindly kicking and thrashing against the body. She was helpless without her sight, her captor was tightening his/her grip against the blindfold while locking Hinamori's wrist with the other hand.

Even through the blindfold she didn't miss the light that crept through the thin layer of cloth as she was now somewhere alone with her kidnapper. She felt the blindfold getting tied behind her head in a very tight knot; the hijacker ripped the cloth that was now opened for her to breath. Hinamori gasped. Her wrists were being tied as she was about to scream, but two fingers were pressed into her mouth to stop from screaming, she choked.

"I don't think so." The _man's _voice was deep and dangerous. She was gagging as the fingers pressed onto her tongue, they tasted like salt. Instinctively, she bit down with full force as she felt the bone between her teeth and then a sharp hit to the side of her head causing her to fall to the floor as the man grunted in pain. "Son of a bitch!"

Hinamori was gasping for air, and then she spat on the floor to get the awful taste out of her mouth. She heard the man's footsteps advancing to her and then from the bottom of the blindfold she saw his feet, she immediately threw her left leg out tripping the man. He crashed against the desks and hit the floor. Hinamori pushed herself up with her tied hands, but not until she felt strong arms wrapped around her waist, she struggled and screamed as her dressed was being torn off. With her right heel she stomped on the man's foot and elbowed him on the side. He grunted, the blindfold was thin enough for her to see the man's figure just not his face.

With as much force as she could she snapped her leg upwards striking the man against the side of the head with the tip of her heels. He fell to the floor unmoving, and then Hinamori stumbled against the desks with the guidance of the light slipping underneath the blindfold towards the door.

Her vision was immediately blinded as she entered the halls, she tripped on the hem of her dress and began to crawl against the floor feeling her way with her tied hands. Finding the stairs she began to slowly crawl down the stairs, but she missed a step and tumbled down one flight of stairs. Bruised and weak, she coughed while grasping for air, and then she began to scream. Minutes later she heard shoes clacking down the other end of the hall.

"Oh my god, Momo!" Rangiku screamed. She immediately fell at Hinamori's side while hastily untying her wrist and successfully the blindfold. Hinamori looked up at her friend dazed. "Rangiku." Her voice was cracked and dry.

"We need to get out of here Momo." Matsumoto immediately threw Hinamori's arm over her shoulder and they proceeded down the halls. Hinamori groaned. "It hurts Rangiku…"

"Yeah, figured. What the hell happened to you?"

"I…I don't know." Hinamori's head was beating as blood was now running along the side of her head. She began to cry. "I am sorry, Rangiku. I lost Hitsugaya…"

"I don't think you need to worry about him. I am sure he knows what he's doing plus I lost Mitsuru as well."

They were outside after a few travels around the main building. Police cars, ambulance, and the school bus were there. Matsumoto immediately passed Hinamori over to policemen, but not until Hinamori's senses finally came back to her. She gasped, "I need to find Hitsugaya!" She shoved a policeman aside, and then she was running back towards the school. Ignoring Matsumoto's and the people's cries.

She burst threw the school building's doors and ran down the hall. She ran into the washroom, to clean off her wounds, and then she set silently through the darkness of the school as she made her way back to the separate cafeteria/gym building where she thought Hitsugaya was.

Hitsugaya caught sight of Matsumoto surrounded by the policemen and ambulances. Matsumoto ran to him and hugged him. "Toushirou, thank god you're alright!" her voice was wavering.

"Where's Hinamori?"

"She went back inside the gym and cafeteria building to find you." That was all Matsumoto said before Hitsugaya was running back to the school. Hitsugaya bursts threw the doors leading to the gym, Hinamori was not in sight as he ran from the gym to the cafeteria and then he ran to the west side of the building. The lights on the west side were blinking rapidly; Hitsugaya was beginning to get impatient. Then suddenly the doors down the corridor burst open and Hitsugaya made out Hinamori's figure running down the blinking corridor. She ran into him as she threw her arms around him in a tight embrace knocking them to the floor.

"Hitsugaya…I was so scared…I thought…that…" she cried on top of him. Hitsugaya didn't have time to reply as he heard a door crash open. They both froze and then they slowly got onto their feet. Down the corridor where Hinamori had just run from was Mitsuki, holding a shiny silver revolver. A glass window door was the only thing dividing them.

Mitsuki smirked at the couple on the other end of the hall as she lifted her hand and aimed the gun perfectly through the square window then pulled the trigger. Hinamori immediately pushed Hitsugaya away and ducked, but she couldn't avoid the shards of glass that threw from the door. She gasped as pieces dug into her skin. Hitsugaya didn't have time to notice as he grabbed Hinamori and then they were running out the side doors. Not too far behind, Mitsuki pulled the trigger again, and then another followed. Until the two were out of sight.

"Hitsugaya, my leg!" Hinamori screamed. He immediately stopped. No doubt there was a trail of blood running down her leg. He didn't have time to care for it now so he scooped her in his arms bridal style and they were off again.

"You're going the wrong way; reinforcements are on the east side of the school!" Hinamori was yelling through her pain.

"We're gonna have to go through the main building!" Hitsugaya yelled back.

They entered the main building which was non-censured so it was safe to lurk in the dark unless someone flicked the light switches. Hitsugaya didn't have perfect eye sight but a hallway was completely empty of anything getting in the way so they continued to flee to the highest floor. Hitsugaya was getting tired so he entered a classroom after placing Hinamori down he immediately proceeded to lock the door.

Both were heavily panting. Hitsugaya slide down the door beside Hinamori, she was sweating, covered in blood, her dress was ripped. "What happened?" Hitsugaya whispered. Hinamori just groaned in response. Hitsugaya sighed. _I need to treat her wound, but I need some light. _He got up and gently picked up Hinamori again and placed her by the window. The moon was full giving him enough light to see everything. Hitsugaya examined her once again, confusion swept over. _How can glass do so much damage to her body? And her head is dried with blood. _

Hitsugaya proceeded to take of his silk suit jacket. "Hinamori, I need to clean your wound and apply pressure to it, so just bare with me." He began to pick the glass that was in her leg. "Ow...Ow...Ah, it hurts." She whimpered. Hitsugaya still continued to pick at the fragments of glass; once he couldn't get the deeper pieces he tied his jacket tightly around her leg. _That should stop the blood for now at least._

Minutes passed, both sat in silence. Hinamori leaned against Hitsugaya with her head on his shoulder. "You're always protecting me." She whispered eyes closed. Hitsugaya sighed. "Somebody has to." She smiled as her tears began to fall. Hitsugaya shifted so he could face her at an angle, he wiped her tears but they couldn't stop falling. Then she started to sob uncontrollably, groaning in pain in-between. "Hinamori, it's okay. We'll get out of this. Trust me."

She shook her head and whispered. "I can't walk."

"I promise you, that I'll protect you and that we'll get through this." His confidence was wavering. Hinamori cried herself dry and licked her lips.

"You shouldn't have come back for me because I wish you were safe."

"I don't want to be safe without you…" he whispered.

Hinamori laughed lightly, and smiled the smile Hitsugaya loved most. She opened her eyes and stared at him. She reached up and brushed her thumb back and forth across his cheek.

"I've lost a lot of blood...so if I asked you to kiss me, would you hold it against me? "

Hitsugaya hesitated and deliberated whether or not she was telling a joke.

"Only if you want me to."

"I might be bad at it." She confessed.

"That's not possible."

She caressed his cheek one last time before she dropped her hand and then the memory of them against the school flashed into her mind. Hinamori smiled again, and she began to slowly entwine her slightly colder fingers with his. She continued to stare into his eyes both of them full of confidence and desire. "Come here." She whispered.

Hinamori's fingers tightened every second Hitsugaya was leaning towards her, she lowered her head, hesitating only for a moment making Hitsugaya pause but then her resolve broke and she kissed him. They kissed briefly, gentle but full of passion. They began to pull back but Hinamori's hold tightened instinctively around his fingers again. "Just in case you can't keep your promise." Never meeting his eyes she closed her eyes and kissed him her actions deeper and rougher, to his utter shock. She gasped against his lips, and Hitsugaya took the chance to slip his tongue into her mouth coaxing her to play. Her sensing reeling as Hitsugaya took control, but he broke it after as they were now panting against each other's faces.

Hinamori closed her eyes, and smiled as she leaned her head under his chin again. Everything was back to its silent atmosphere until Hitsugaya shook Hinamori. At that moment he realized why she had kissed him twice, and then two thoughts ran through his head. _I promised you that I'd protect you and get you out of this, so Hinamori you can't fall asleep on me._

**Authors Note: There happy? I made them kiss, but this chapter was very difficult to write because it actually got to me. Yes I am all teary. Anyways the last half of this chapter will be concluded in the next. But this story is far from over. Please review! :D And maybe I'll updates faster ;) I'll say my thank yous to those who will review/favorite/alert and I look forward to all your continuing support. Love you guys! **


	7. Does Darkness Have A Name Part 2

Chapter 7

**_Previously in 'Only You'_ The school is now on the verge of a once in a lifetime intimidation, a student (Mitsuki, Taeko) has not only brought a gun but a threat to the students of Karakura High as she roams the halls gunning down her targets, but is she alone? That is unknown. Hitsugaya Toushirou is putting his life on the line to protect those close to him. Two lives have been hurt, Hinamori Momo and Mitsuru Nichika. Now two lives will end.**

Hitsugaya shook Hinamori once more, and placed his index and middle finger on her pulse point just below her throat. Her skin was cold, and pale; her breathing was shallow as her heart was beating more rapidly to maintain circulating blood throughout her body. _Shit…_

"Hinamori, I need you to keep on moving or do something just talk to me please…"

She moaned and shifted her weight on him and then slipped of his shoulder, but he caught her, now she was lying on his lap. She licked her dry lips, and opened her groggy eyes. "Shiro-chan…" she sighed in a low soft monotone. She crisscrossed her arms around herself. Hitsugaya sighed and played with her hair, running his fingers along her forehead, cheeks, lips, jaw; trailing down her bare arms and stopped at her hand. He kissed the teardrop scar now outlined blue, much clearer along her less peachy skin.

"It was a beautiful snowy white winter, everything was so pure; a winter wonderland. Seventh grade. My friends and I played through the untouched snow, having snow wars, building forts till the snow was brown and mushy…I arrived home late that night, dripping wet. My parents' worried sick told me to change and take a shower then I fell asleep. I awoke the next morning unable to get out of bed, I'd come down with the flu having fallen asleep in half dry half wet clothing. I was warm yet freezing, kinda like now. My brother skipped school and work to watch over me."

"Summer of 2008, I went out constantly going to parties, beaches, friends' houses and arriving home just a little bit after mid-night in less than a satisfying condition I left in. My parents were upset with me, my brother always defending me, I never listened to them, just went out whenever I felt like it. It was the beginning of a new experience for me."

"3 years passed by like a picture flash, my last memories in Honshu Town were the worst, a month ago to be exact before school started. My friends and I decided to make the best of our senior year so we snuck into a union party just for fun. I had argued with my brother the night before, but I got caught sneaking out into my friends car an hour before mid-night but before my brother could catch me, I screamed at my friends to hit the gas. Turns out the union party was for the graduates of 2011, my brothers' year. He saw me there, wild and drunk; he dragged me outside furious and humiliated, and shoved me in his car while ignoring my struggles and complains. I remember throwing up in his car, then unconsciousness hit me, and I woke up in the hospital with a major pains and casts. A week later, I found my brother's bloody lifeless body, and went into metal mode for 2 weeks, before being forcefully dragged to Karakura Town on the last week before school…"

Hinamori's voice was raspy and dry, draining out every time before she couldn't continue her last sentence. Hitsugaya sat there, motionless from shock maybe even repulsion or pity.

Hitsugaya didn't know what to say, was he suppose to say something? He didn't know. Suddenly Hinamori began to sit up, struggling to stand she caught hold of a desk nearby.

"Hinamori, what are you doing?" Hitsugaya snapped.

"Don't!" Hinamori suddenly snapped back, shaking her head. "Just don't…"

Supporting herself with both arms on a desk, she began to cry again. With her back towards Hitsugaya she lowered her head and cried into her arms. Hitsugaya rose in shock surprised that she was still able to move having at least lost half a litre of blood. Hitsugaya reached for her, placing his hand on her right shoulder stopping her from trembling. She choked on her spit and her cries turned into fits of coughs. Wincing when she felt Hitsugaya wrap his arms around her, she was being gently pulled into a standing position, and then they both stood together; the moonlight shining on them from behind.

Never struggling against his protective hold on her, he buried his head into the conjunctions of her neck and throat. Hinamori moaned at the unwanted contact as Hitsugaya began to slowly trace his lips along her neck, jaw line, stopping at her cheek. "Don't be afraid to look at me, Hinamori." She tilted her head slightly to the right, and then Hitsugaya pecked her cold lips. Suddenly an odd buzzing noise and vibration was sent from Hinamori, she began to blindly reach for her phone underneath the folds of her dress. Hitsugaya was too quick for her, as he began to slowly slide his hand up her right thigh; teasing her until he snatched her phone, glancing at the caller ID he flicked it open.

"Kurosaki." Hitsugaya breathed.

"Who is this?" Ichigo was nervous.

"Toushirou."

"What the hell? Is Momo alright?" Ichigo was beginning to get serious.

"Not really but she's just a little caught up at the moment." Hitsugaya was playing, Hinamori groaned. He coughed.

"Are you guys alright, where are you?"

"Fourth floor, I can't remember what room but Hinamori's shot in the leg, immobilized."

"I'll be right there." Ichigo snapped.

"Kurosaki…"

"Yeah I know, you too."

The annoying B-flat followed soon after. Hitsugaya closed the phone and clipped it onto his belt. With his arm that he still had wrapped around Hinamori, turned her to the slide and with his free arm he tucked it under her legs. Proceeding for the door, he flicked the lock to the side a click was heard, struggling with his left hand under Hinamori's legs, he grabbed the hockey stick transferring it to his right, then he finally twisted the door knob and kicked the door to the side.

_Bad move. _The door contacted with the side wall and the noise echoed down the empty corridor far too loud. He paused, listening and looked, nothing. Sprinting down the 3rd corridor, he crashed into a figure; stumbling back he while catching his balance on the back of his right foot.

The unknown person was on the floor, and then the lights flicked on. Ichigo was on the floor rubbing his leg, next to him Rukia, behind her Renji, Inoue, Ishida, and Matsumoto. Hitsugaya sighed. _Holly shit…_Ichigo rose to his feet.

"Dude…" he examined Hinamori who was resting in Hitsugaya's arms.

"It was Mitsuki, Taeko..." Hitsugaya explained in short.

"Are you sure about that Hitsugaya Toushirou?"

At least one-third of the hallway from the western staircase was Suzumiya, Haruka; Mitsuki's best friend wearing a red backless dress that bloomed like a flower and flowed around her legs. From the looks of it, she was either holding the same silver revolver, or she had one of her own.

"For the love of god Suzumiya, what the hell are you doing?! The school's in lock down!" Rukia screamed at her. Hitsugaya glared across the hallway when he heard the light 'click' of the trigger as she advanced on them. Slowly twisting his body, he transferred Hinamori to Ichigo.

"Take her and get out of here." He whispered. Haruka aimed.

"Don't move or I'll shoot." Everyone paused, petrified. Hitsugaya stepped forward, Haruka stopped still out of target range. Hitsugaya flicked his head to the side; _go _was his order.

"DON'T MOVE!" Haruka shrieked; voice wavering dry. But they never obeyed and they ran from the school. "I said don't move!" she shot the lighting between her and from where Hitsugaya was standing, he never flinched as glass shattered to the floor like sparks leaving only the north-south side of the passage illuminated.

Haruka was lightly panting as Hitsugaya stood motionless heart pounding in his chest, his grip sweaty from holding on the hockey stick; he dropped it and listened to the echoes. He closed his eyes and raised his hands in defeat.

"If you wanna shoot me, go ahead."

"What?" Haruka spat, confused.

"This is what you wanted right, revenge for what ever reasons."

"Hah, you think I came here today wanting this? I didn't come here for you, I came here because Mitsuki asked me to because she wanted revenge on that wretched bitch." her tone was grim but insecure. "But I couldn't do it when I saw her holding that gun, she was the monster lost in her own anger and jealousy of one stupid girl."

She shook her head, and Hitsugaya gritted his teeth every second that Haruka continued to blab. "After you and your precious '_princess' _ fled the building we advanced after you, I screamed at Mitsuki to stop firing but when she didn't I pulled the trigger of my own gun on her back…"

Haruka's tears sparkled even in the dim lighting. She whimpered and shook her head and wiped her tears fighting her own self regret. "I shot her because I was hurt, enraged, and scared…it was like…I d-d-didn't even know her anymore at that point. My fingers just had a mind of there own…I just...wanted her to stop..."

Hitsugaya opened his eyes, and saw her shaking form fall to the ground as she wailed into her knees. She screamed banging on the floor with her free arm continuously till they bruised and stung. She laid there, a vibrating heap of clothing and then the only thing heard was the continuous 'Bzz' of the fluorescent light above Hitsugaya. He slowly walked over to her as if in trance, and gazed down at her with dark eyes.

"Get out of this school Haruka, your plans have backfired." his tone was menacing.

He left her lifeless form as he turned around and walked out the main school entrance walking down the front steps he turned around and saw his relfection on a glass display cabinet. Before the doors fully closed he heard the last bullet from Haruka's revolver.

Proceeding along the blocks around the school he arrived to the flashing blue, red, yellow lights of police cars, ambulances, and other vehicles. Fellow students hugged their guardians and wept into them. Rukia, Inoue, and Tatsuki cried into the arms of their partners while Matsumoto cried into Renji.

Matsumoto immediately hugged Hitsugaya the second time during the lock down, and he patted her back. Releasing her, he saw a stretcher carrying a black-covered figure, _Mitsuki Taeko. _Another two were being loaded into an ambulance. _Hinamori Momo and Mitsuru Nichika, _his chest had a sudden pain as if something had been puncturing it. He felt a light hand on his shoulder, his uncle; _Jushiro Ukitake._

"Nichika was caught in the cross fire in the cafeteria, and Momo's condition is unknown but the results aren't looking well."

"Thanks." Hitsugaya mumbled for the unnecessary information which made him feel guiltier. _I was almost out of time…_

Everyone was beginning to evacuate. Proceeding into his uncle's vehicle, he saw the red and blue lights of police cars, and ambulances in the distance and then it suddenly began to rain.

_Gently they go the beautiful, the tender, the kind;  
_

_Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave._

_Hoping for their own safety, but knowing that some will be lost along the way. _

_And even if we do make it out of here, we're always gonna carry it with us,_

_It's never gonna be the same._

_Consumed by the shadows, swallowed whole by the unknown darkness._

**Authors Note: Well there's chapter seven in a 3 day record! Very very crappy but I hope you all enjoyed it! Reviews are always appreciated and accepted well besides flames. I'll updates as soon as I can so I look forward to your continuing support! Thanks a lot guys!  
**


	8. The Shape of Things to Come

Chapter 8

It had been 2 weeks since the school lockdown and there was still a long way to go before it just became a memory. Hinamori Momo sat in a white hospital gown though it wasn't backless it was more like a thin white robe with a loose string to keep it secure there she was on a clean white care bed. Everything in there was so washed-out, she had woken up screaming when she immediately recognized the room and where she was, it reminded her too much of _that day_. They had to transport her into a more lively room with pink walls, blue curtains, and a view of the town outside. She pressed the buzzer, soon after a nurse came in.

"Yes Hinamori Momo, what may I do for you?" Isane asked politely.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to speak to Dr.Fujitaka."

"Certainly, please wait a moment."

Isane left the room silently shutting the door as Hinamori waited for the doctor to arrive. She noticed an emerald green vase of white Convallaria Majalis flowers (Lily of the Valley) her favourite. She reached for them and stopped short when the door opened. "Yes, Momo what is it that you need?" Dr.Fujitaka asked. She sighed.

"Dad, I want to go home or maybe even school, I just need to get out of this place!"

"Not with those injuries you aren't." He said sternly, shaking his head.

"It's been two weeks, two weeks since I missed school! And winter break is on Friday!" She whined. "I am completely healed, well I am missing a leg but other than that it's just scars and bruises and I've experienced those so I am more than just _fine_."

Her father was only paying half attention to her as he was re-checking her heart rate, temperature, and injuries. She crossed her arms and grumbled. "Do you really want to attend school that bad?" Hinamori nodded in response. "I'll make you a deal if I don't come back in one piece or in the same condition I leave in, you can keep me here as long as you want."

Hinamori, Fujitaka deliberated before scribbling something on his clip board. He sighed, turned to leave and mumbled. _It's your funeral. _

"Oh, dad about those flowers…."

"From a friend of yours, he's been visiting everyday. Very nice kid…man. Polite too, if I am not mistaken some of my new employees have their sights set on him." He winked at his daughter and she blushed.

"It's not like that." He just laughed and shrugged before grasping the handle of the door he informed Hinamori. "If you want to get to school, I'll drive but I am afraid you're going to have to use these for remaining week."

He pointed to the objects leaning against the door. Hinamori grimaced and frowned in disapproval. She mentally screamed and shook her head. "Fine, I'll use them those damned objects _Dr.Fujitaka._" She spat and sighed. "I suggest you drop the formalities with me Momo."

She saluted him. "Yes sir!" After he left, she groaned into her hands and pounded her sheets with fists. She wasn't so sure if she was happy about getting out of this hell hole or not.

Hitsugaya sat in history class feeling more irritated and furious than ever as he kept on twitching or shuffling around to keep him distracted. The seat next to him was painfully empty as if he _wanted _it to be occupied. Matsumoto on the other hand was across the room from him, sleeping. Her face expression troubled as if she couldn't sleep.

Suddenly a light tapping noise was heard from the door, and Shusuke-sensei proceeded to the door and froze, shock spread across his features but then he smiled. "I see you've finally came, welcome back Hinamori Momo."

Hitsugaya's head snapped up, and that's when he saw her on crutches still wearing the white hospital gown, but covering her legs was a long black skirt still he didn't miss the tip of the pink cast. Hinamori hesitated at the door as she gazed over the class, most were suddenly _now interested _about history class. She saw Matsumoto blinking at her as she was now fully awake, Renji smiled at her, Rukia nodded a welcome back, and then she locked gazes with _him _last.

She began to proceed to her seat, until the bell rang. It was lunch and both Hitsugaya and Hinamori couldn't be more relieved. Students wedged through the door as Hinamori caught words from her fellow classmate, _Welcome back. Good to see you've gotten better. Almost gave us a scare peachy but welcome back. It's nice to see you again. Hey do you mind if I sign your cast later? Welcome back Momo._

Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Rukia and Renji all stopped at the door, none knowing what to say. Hinamori giggled. Everyone sighed; she was back like nothing happened, she was her normal self.

"I think I need to drop my stuff by my locker, I'll catch you guys later."

"I'll go with you." Hitsugaya said abruptly. Everyone separated as they headed for the cafeteria. Hinamori struggled with the stairs and crutches with embarrassment but Hitsugaya didn't seem to mind as he kept up with her pace and clumsiness. When they reached her locker, Hinamori was sweating and panting. She then continued to open her locker and found a fresh and half dead bouquet of her favourite flowers. She cocked an eyebrow.

"I didn't know when you'd return but this was the most recent batch they had in store so it's not as bad as the older ones…" Hitsugaya murmured, shyly. Hinamori was surprised by the side she'd never seen, but smiled. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. They're beautiful."

Hitsugaya stood silently as Hinamori emptied her bag, and refilled her locker with her books. He kept his eyes on her right leg, and frowned about a memory he could no longer erase. "Does it hurt?" he whispered.

"Huh?"

"Your leg." He motioned to her cast. She paused only for a moment but silently kept cleaning yet stuffing her locker. Finally finished she closed the door and leaned against it.

"No. It's itchy though." She scratched at the bandages, useless.

"But I don't really remember… the last two weeks have been kind of like a blur."

Hitsugaya never responded, he had a sudden interest with the floor. "It's not like you need to."

Unexpectedly the school was filled with the voice of Principle Yamamoto. "Sorry for the sudden disturbance but I'd like for all students to report to the assembly hall immediately."

Hitsugaya's last remark of hope was crushed. "What's going on?" Hinamori asked, tucking her head against his shoulder as she readjusted her crutches.

"Hell if I know." He shrugged.

. "You always know," Hinamori pressed.

"Maybe…I don't have to explain." Hitsugaya suggested.

Most students were still being seated as Hitsugaya and Hinamori entered they took the back seats as Hinamori didn't want to have anymore attention alerted to her.

"Attention, please. Settle down, ladies and gentlemen. I have something very sad to share with you this afternoon," The principle inhaled sharply. "I am very sorry to inform you so late but I am sure that you all already know that two of our students Suzumiya, Haruka and Mitsuki, Taeko had passed away 2 weeks ago."

There was shocked silence, followed by a confused buzzing.

"There will be no classes in session tomorrow. Instead there will be a funeral service tomorrow morning. Everyone is invited to attend. Afterward, there will be a burial at the Onose Cemetery."

"All parents have been informed of the early dismissal. After this meeting please return to your evening classes. That is all."

Hinamori was confused as she exited the assembly, she remembered the night of the lock down as it came down on her like bricks. She remember there being injuries, not deaths but now not only was there one but _two_. _Suzumiya, Haruka and Mitsuki, Taeko. _Hinamori felt a twinge of sadness, she didn't even know them that well and worse Mitsuki was her first enemy. But the worst thing that could ever happen to a student at Karakura High would be a broken leg, painful sunburn, or maybe even having been in a car accident and live. _Due to my own experiences. _

"You okay?" Hitsugaya asked, squeezing her shoulder. She nodded. There were so many things that could have happened to the girls, aneurysm, heart attack, diabetic seizures. Anything but being murdered on school grounds.

"I am going to class. Where are you going?" He asked, swiping a hand through his hair, and slipping it into his jean pockets.

"Home. I won't be attending my evening classes; I need to find something to wear to the funeral."

"Sweet heart!" Hinamori, Yui thrilled, her voice carrying down the block. "I was so worried!" She gathered Hinamori in her skinny arms, pressing her powdered cheek against hers. She smelled like lilies; sweet and chalky.

"Stop it mom," Hinamori complained. "I am fine; I am not the one who was killed."

_Killed. _Now why had she said that? Mitsuki and Suzumiya's deaths were an accident. The word came out so naturally with out her even realizing it, why?

"I heard about your fellow classmates, it's a shame really. Their mother's are in shock, the poor things. Get in, get in." She followed her mother to the car.

Hinamori walked inside her room and shut the door behind her.

"Home so soon?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned to find Nichika sitting on the bed with a stern expression. He sat arms cross and ramrod straight, dressed in a full black t-shirt and jeans, his legs crossed at the ankles.

"What are you doing here?" Hinamori snapped defensive.

"School let you early." Nichika said. "Mitsuki and Suzumiya died remember?"

"I know." Hinamori's face changed. A flash of emotions flickered across her features- fear, anxiety, and concern even? She flashed back to the present.

"Get out my room; I don't care how you got in just get out." She whispered fiercely.

Nichika bounced of her bed and slipped on his black sneaks. Hinamori wanted to ask him more questions about why he was here and maybe even about his injuries but at the moment she just wanted to be alone.

"You've got dinner at seven," Nichika said, leaving the room.

"Are you stalking me?" Hinamori asked baffled. But he had already disappeared down the stairs. Hinamori felt very alone all of a sudden as she closed her eyes and laid on her bed. Then her computer made a light 'ding' noise. Her screened glowed with a message as if the messenger knew how she was feeling right then.

_Hope you're okay gave me a little bit of a scare. Meet me at Old Town Karakura Station in fifteen. I **need**__ to see you. H.T_

Hinamori smiled knowing she had one true friend.

**Authors Note: Well this chapter was more of a back to reality chapter; in other words it was very crappy. Sorry! Anyways review! Please with all the cherries on top and I swear I'll make a faster update on the next chapter plus it shouldn't be as boring as this one! **


	9. Dare Devils

Chapter 9

She arrived at the park earlier than Hitsugaya sitting on the wooden bench she hadn't realize how cold it was this late of night. She caught sight of him in her peripheral vision still wearing his school uniform underneath a black leather jacket. He placed himself next to her.

"Sorry did you wait long?" he asked. She shook her head in response. "Anyway you requested to see me? Your message was a little surprising, is everything all right because you sounded like a crazy person?" They laughed under their breathe. Reaching into his jacket pocket and he pulled out a pink razor phone, Hinamori stared in shock as he placed it in her hand.

"I forgot I had it after you passed out on me during the lock down."

"Speaking of the lock down, did you know what happened to Mitsuru?" Hinamori's question changed his expression, suspicion. He wasn't sure why she had suddenly brought the subject of him up.

"Well, he had got caught in between the cross fire in the cafeteria."

"It was about 7." The statement was only meant for herself. "That's not possible."

Her expression became troubled. "Rangiku said that she was with Nichika at the same time they heard the gun shot, it wasn't possible for him to have fled downstairs in less than 3 minutes."

"What are you getting at?" Hitsugaya demanded, confused. She just shook her head, and then she was suddenly scratching her teardrop scar.

"Your scars are still hurting." Hitsugaya noted. Hinamori nodded. They didn't actually hurt, but they did itch.

"Why don't you get rid of them?" He asked. It was like a story that she liked but didn't like at the same time and she didn't know why.

"I may not want to get rid of these scars," she said finally. "They tell a story."

Hitsugaya nodded. "Yes, of course they do."

Hitsugaya walked her home, and before she fell asleep she couldn't be gladder that her father finally announced 4 days early that she was fully capable of walking again with out a bright pink cast on.

Mitsuki, Taeko and Suzumiya, Haruka's funeral had all the trappings of a social event. Everyone had worn white. Inside the church was arranged according to high school ranks with the staff and seniors up front, and then the juniors followed by the freshmen. Hinamori took her seat with her mother then father to her right on her left was Hitsugaya along with his uncle. Next to them Matsumoto, and the Mitsuru family next to her. The rows continued on and on with the rest of the school population and so forth.

The service began, and the assembly rose from their seats and sang "Never gone." Throughout the whole ceremony, Hinamori had her fingers tightly clasped around Hitsugaya's even after several students had spoke, or when the relatives of Mitsuki and Suzumiya had made a brief eulogy. Even Mitsuru, Nichika made a moving speech, and just as quickly, the ceremony was over. Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow as he saw Hinamori leaving her seat as soon as it was over.

Hinamori hadn't been able to stand it even before it was over; she decided to ditch the after burial. Funerals freaked her out. The only one she'd ever been to was the one for her nineteen year old brother, and no one had ever been that depressed in their entire lives. She leaned against the side door only to have it open on her and then she fell into the arms of her _stalker_.

Nichika was wearing a narrow white suit, with a white t-shirt and a skinny black tie. He smiled at her. "Going somewhere?"

"It's hot in there." She said lamely.

He nodded. They hadn't spoken to each other since Tuesday night when he had snuck into her room, surprising her. She'd been meaning to seek him out to talk and get things straightened out maybe even get an apology or apologize even though she had nothing to apologize for. It wasn't like they were friends or anything, no big deal.

Except that it was. It was only 4 months ago when they'd just spent the night talking about their lives to each other, opening their hearts. Worst of all, she'd confessed how she _use _to have feelings for him, and how she thought she was responsible for her brother's death a night after he had died.

It was liberating to have been so honest with him, although she regretted it as soon as she arrived home that night, traumatized by the fear that somehow he'd break his promise of keeping it secret. She didn't want to move but now she realized she wouldn't have been more grateful to come to Karakura Town, never shall they meet again. But she was wrong; he had come back for her. His history came back to haunt her, she shuddered at the thought.

Hitsugaya burst out the doors and paused as he saw Nichika; he maybe even glared but stopped as he saw the relief on Hinamori's face. Nichika placed his hand on Hitsugaya's shoulder and told him that he just came to _chit-chat_ with an old friend. He smiled at Hinamori after Nichika disappeared inside.

"Let's get out of here shall we?" he asked, he wriggled white eyebrows at her teasingly.

Skipping a funeral. Now that was interesting entertainment. The whole school was supposed to be at the service. It was mandatory. The only class she had ever cut was gym class when her friends decided to see a horror flick even though they weren't the right age rating but it was worse than it sounded and they'd gotten back before getting caught. _Well my yesterday classes don't count. _At Karakura High, they were actually allowed to cut class twice a semester due to the stress that students occasionally _had_ to cut class. But as far as she knew, it was impolite and disrespectful to cut a funeral. That was serious transgression.

"Let's go." Hitsugaya said, reaching out to hold her hand. She grabbed his hand without hesitation, he smirked and without another word. They were sprinting through the back door, down the stair case and out the back alleyway. Soon they were free and walking down the streets of Karakura Town.

_Meanwhile…_Matsutmoto noticed Nichika run up to talk to Hinamori even though she was her good friend. She watched as her friend and current boyfriend begin an intense, whispered conversation. She didn't know why but she didn't like that one bit. She sensed like those two had some sort of unknown connection that she apparently couldn't have with Nichika. The only other person he had ever looked at like that was her. And she wanted to keep it that way, if she hadn't known better she would say she was jealous. But it never hit her. Then she saw her best friend go out the doors after the same girl but apparently they didn't appear again even for the burial.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

She shrugged inhaling the late autumn and early winter air. Now that was something she would enjoy about Karakura Town and sooner or later maybe the snow. She picked the frilly flowers on her white knee length dress.

"We can do anything, it's Karakura Town," Hitsugaya teased. "It's opened to us, we could go watch a movie, go bowling, dart tag or maybe we could secretly take a dive in the community swimming pool, if you know what I mean."

Hinamori laughed at his last suggestion. "Or maybe just a simple walk through the park." She was so cliché.

The community part was almost vacant since schools were still in session, they walked peacefully through the park chasing each other laughing and jumping around. At times they just walked hand in hand twisting and untwisting through each other's arms people would probably mistake them as a couple gracefully dancing from afar.

Suddenly Hitsugaya placed his hands gently on her face. "Close you eyes."

"Why?" she giggled.

"Just do it," he said.

She closed her eyes, holding a hand against her face and she felt him tug at her hand leading her forward. She walked hesitantly, feeling ahead of her- they were inside some sort of maze, she thought- as he led her briskly through a series of turns. Even with her eyes closed, she could sense that they were in a large, empty yet cool space.

"Open your eyes." Hitsugaya whispered.

She fluttered them opened.

They were standing in front of a large swimming pool. The walls were decorated with paintings of beautiful sceneries. It was absolutely stunning. The place was empty, and there was a long horizontal fountain at the far end. She dropped Hitsugaya's hand and slowly tip-toed to the side wall and spread her arms and legs out so she was in the shape of an X against the wall.

"Oh my god, its _The Great Wave_, by Hokusai!"

"I know and I never knew you were an artsy girl no one really knows about the great wave here," Hitsugaya said, his eyes twinkling.

Hinamori blinked twice at the beautiful picture before turning around to stand at the edge of the 25 m or 50 m long rectangular pool, staring at the bottom she remembering that the water was at least 4.4 ft deep. She saw her reflection rippling back and forth, distorted.

She slowly kicked her heels to the side and slipped of her nylons and dipped her toe into the water but stopped as Hitsugaya was watching her. She smiled and motioned for him to come with her finger. He came and stood in front of her, his back facing the pool. She placed both hands on each of his shoulders and tip-toed so their eyes were the same level.

"Get undressed." She whispered seductively.

Hitsugaya stood there, his voice caught in his throat but he swallowed it down. Hinamori was looking up at him with puppy dog eyes and a pout. He smirked thinking; _this is one hell of a girl._

Hinamori slipped of his tie, jacket, and unbuttoned his white undershirt. He mainly just let her undress him slowly removing his clothing to the side away from water. He removed his shoes and socks as he let his pants fall to his ankles leaving him only in his black boxer shorts. Hinamori leaned on him, their faces almost touching he was leaning back, embarrassed and then Hinamori kicked his belongs making them hit the back wall suddenly she shoved him forward into the cold water backing away from his splash.

She burst out laughing while jumping up and down, clapping. Hitsugaya resurfaced, gasping. "Holly shit, this water is freezing!"

"Yeah I know!" her laughs echoed off the walls. Hitsugaya swam to the closest lamp and Hinamori started to run, in the process she grabbed his extra black t-shirt that was shoved against the back wall. Meanwhile Hitsugaya dived back into the water again swimming in her direction. _Damn it!_

Hinamori was struggling with her dress zipper; Hitsugaya emerged from the water swinging himself onto the hard landing. He finally caught her by the wrist, she laughed anxiously. She locked her eyes shut but she never felt what she was expecting so she opened her eyes to see Hitsugaya smirking at her with her arm extended towards him. He suddenly walked up to her but she backed away until she was against the door of the sauna room. She squeaked.

Both his hands were on each side of her head, droplets of water dripping from his face and hair to her feet. Her toes twitched as she felt them contact with her skin. Hitsugaya carefully trying not to have his wet body contact her dry dress he reached around her with an arm and slowly began to unzip her dress.

It felt at her feet, he never broke eye contact with her as she froze standing there in undergarments. She waited for him to look her over but he didn't, it was just green orbs melting into brown ones. She slipped his t-shirt over her head until it hung above her knees.

Finally satisfied, he pressed his wet body against hers closing that gap between them. Hinamori gasped as the cold damp water soaked into the shirt. Pushed helplessly against the door of the sauna she couldn't move and let his lips explore her jaw line and neck. Finally free she shoved him again with one arm.

"Nice try." He purred but his arm shot out in time to send them both stumbling towards the pool.

"Ahh!" Hinamori screamed before freezing cold water engulfed her whole body. She gasped as she resurfaced, glaring at Hitsugaya who just smiled as he paddled effortlessly on his back. She swam towards him but he dove into the water, she took a breath in the nick of time as she felt his hand grasp her ankle once again she was head under water.

Together they swam back and forth, racing each other from end to end. Splashing and laughing. They danced, swerving and twisting like dolphins around one another. Lastly they just floated in the centre of the pool as the water swayed them back and forth, endlessly.

Both lost once again in each other's eyes, he pulled her to him. The bodies touching, both leaning in then he was pushing forward but before she could take a breath she was under. He on top and she underneath, Hinamori struggled to breath. He saw her air bubbles and finally sealed his lips over hers. After a moment she stopped struggling and they kissed in the deep ice water.

Still in a lip lock, they slowly resurfaced. If they weren't the only two people in a vacant community pool, a couple could be seen kissing passionately with their arms around one another slowly changing the icy water to steam and the funny thing was that they were only half naked.

**Authors Note: Well I am actually 100 percent satisfied with this chapter. Yay! Anywho I want to thank those who've kept up with my updates, I really really appreciate it and I can't do anything to repay you guys but keep on updating. ; ) I just want to thank CallMeNicole about her most recent review which cracked me up and completely made my day! And no Hinamori did not lose a leg, she was on crutches and had a cast! I want to thank my reviewers who've kept up with me till this point! shirochanxmomo1220;momo hitsugaya; iceypeach;IzumiHyuuga; CallMeNicole;ccccookie; Gothic Queen and my new most recent reviewer! RetasuXPai. And I send my regards to those who've reviewed, favorited, and alerted in the past! You've made this story _much more_ successful! Love you guys and review! (My updates have been pushed back due to school interruptions, I'll begin chapter 10 when I hit _58+ reviews) _Until next time!  
**


	10. Time to Fall Back

Chapter 10

The next day the whole senior class was called into the assembly hall again, but for a less important event. _Career Talk_ in other words _The Future. _Even students couldn't avoid the rigid schedule of lectures that the school had planned for them in the next year or so. Part of everyone's year of graduation was to expose their students for future career opportunities and paths available to them.

Careers included medical surgeon, policemen, chef, teacher, or famous artist. But most students were still undecided of where their future was headed. Despite having the teachers talk to them once a week about how many months was left for the grad class of 2013. And they were next.

Most of the students welcomed the half-n-hour career sessions just for an excuse to be out of history, math, or science classes.

"Hey there," Hitsugaya said smoothly added with a wink.

"Oh hey, Shiro." She greeted him, linking her arm through his. They walked up the back stairs hidden in the administration corridor to the next level. Hitsugaya dropped her off and they sent each other out with a wave.

Matsumoto was already there and grinning from her new piece of art work. She had an apron on around her waist and her hands were covered in clay up to her elbows.

"Don't you just love getting dirty?" she asked.

Hinamori ignored her question slyly and took a seat next to her. Neither of them noticed Mitsuru, Nichika enter heading to the back doors. He was late for class.

In between reshaping her sculpture, Matsumoto happened to look up from her art the moment she saw Nichika at the back door, he was talking to the woodworks teacher. Her art teacher was gesturing effusively over her own piece of art work, but Matsumoto wasn't listening. Her gaze kept drifting across the room, to where Nichika was.

It was so unfair; he hadn't made any indications that he noticed her. Sure, he was perfectly friendly whenever they bumped into each other. And that was the problem- he was just simply friendly. Maybe everything they had been through was just a 'friends with benefits' kind of thing. Maybe nothing happened at all. Maybe he lost interest; her gaze shot her side at Hinamori and then flicked back. The thoughts were a low blow on her ego as well as her psyche.

She was beginning to think about him way too much for just a casual friend who wasn't even into her category. But all she could think about was the way his hair fluttered in the wind and how his sideburns curled around his ear, the way he's look at her like she was the only one. He was the kind of guy who broke the rules and would let anything happen, and she liked that about him. It excited her.

When class was over, she found herself standing next to him by the door. She smiled at him shyly. "Hey."

"Hey to you too." He said gallantly, letting her cut in front of him.

She nodded her thanks, lingering to see if he's follow her or maybe even say something to her; ask her on a date again. But he didn't. She walked out alone while he waited for a petite chocolate eyed girl with a pink bun. She felt defeated.

After lunch, she saw Hinamori changing into her gym clothes in the hallway standing in front of her locker, while other students did the same.

Students were encouraged to change in the provided washrooms, but since they had five minutes, most ignored the rules. The girls had perfected removing a bra in exchange for a sports bra under a t-shirt maneuver. The boys didn't even have time to blink before each of them was heading down the hall.

"Hey can I talk to you for a minute?" Matsumoto asked, walking aside Hinamori as they headed for the gym. "Sure, what's on your mind?"

"You're friends with Nichika right?"

Hinamori was about to give her the are-you-stupid-and-blind look. She shrugged.

"Sure whatever, what about him?" she checked her watch. The second bell was going to ring soon, and students were already hurrying up the stairs to the back gym.

"I just- do you know him _well_?"

Hinamori shrugged again. She wasn't sure what Matsumoto was asking. Of course she knew him well, they _were_ elementary friends.

"I've heard rumours," Matsumoto said, looking around to see if anyone was eavesdropping.

"Oh yeah, what?" Hinamori was getting uneasy but she raised an eyebrow.

"Well that he was involved in some accident with some girl over the summer-"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Rangiku." Hinamori said, cutting her off. "Do you really believe that story?"

Matsumoto looked shocked. "No I don't believe it."

"Look, we should concentrate on gym." Hinamori said brusquely, swinging her tennis racket over her shoulder. She walked away.

Matsumoto trailed behind her anyway. "It's just we've been doing a lot lately and I thought we have something you know, but I don't know, he just hasn't spoken to me about us," she explained. "Do you know if he's like lost interest?"

Hinamori sighed and her eyes narrowed. The second bell had rung. She looked at her friend, taking in her nervous demeanour and hopeful smile.

Reluctantly, Hinamori came to a conclusion that Matsumoto knew absolutely _nothing _about Nichika. "As far as I know he hasn't lost interest, if you want my advice don't take him too lightly. But I think he _really _likes you." She said, giving Matsumoto a sympathetic smirk.

"He does? I mean, he talks about me?"

Hinamori rolled her eyes and shrugged. "It really none of my business," she said hesitating. "What?"

"It nothing, it's just there's things me and you both need to talk about, how about after Phys Ed."

Matsumoto smiled. "Thanks"

"No problem," Hinamori said, they both ran to the gym.

"Momo, there's a lot I still need to ask you about him. If you don't mind."

She never responded, but instead she thought quietly to herself. _Rangiku you have no idea who or what you're in for. _

Matsumoto was shocked at her brazenness. She had never needed to pursue a boy before. But there was always a first for everything.

Later that evening, Matsumoto and Hinamori hung around Rangiku's room, doing nothing as usual-but when Hinamori casually slipped out what happened the day before, Matsumoto pounced on the idea.

"Tell me again what happened?"

Hinamori sat on a white leather couch in Matsumoto's room.

"Yesterday you guys _snuck_ into the community swimming pool?" she prodded.

"Right, the one next to the park." Hinamori agreed.

"And then?"

Hinamori blushed. "I think I blacked out. The next thing I knew we were um…making out in the pool, and then I was outside by the beach…"

"Wait you were what? Momo, there's no beach by the community centre."

"But the funny thing was I was back in the pool still kissing him."

"Then it's called a flashback."

"Eh?"

Matsumoto sighed. "It was only for a brief moment right? You were kissing him, and then suddenly you're somewhere else but in reality you're not. It's a flashback moment."

Hinamori just nodded slightly. "Okay…" she was still blushing.

"Something more?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's written all over you're face Momo, something you're not telling me." Matsumoto pressed. "Tell me _now._"

Hinamori's explanation went completely over board, completely off-topic well half of it from what they were discussing. It was like déjà vu. It made her dizzy. But Matsumoto burst out laughing. "What you're experiencing is perfectly normal."

"It is?" Hinamori asked.

"Yes."

"You mean…" Matsumoto nodded. "Yup, hormones." She said the word so naturally it was like an everyday word for her.

"So there's nothing wrong with me?"

"What for wanting to sex with him right then and there?"

Hinamori just sat there, baffled, unspeaking and embarrassed.

"Nothing at all, well wait let me just make it clear. You guys didn't did you?"

Hinamori turned tomato red and began frantically shaking her head, making her world spin. "Then yup, there's nothing wrong absolutely nothing at all."

Her parents were on their way out. Hinamori stood in her bedroom listening to the sounds of her mother's heels on the marble floor, followed by her father's heavier footsteps. "Hi sweetie," Hinamori, Yui called, knocking on her daughter's door. "Daddy and I are leaving."

"There's mail for you down stairs." Yui said. Hinamori nodded her thanks.

"I'll be right there; I just need to write an email to a friend."

No need because Hinamori, Fujutaka came up with two envelopes; one white the other one yellow. Hinamori spun on her chair and rolled herself to the door. "Thanks dad." She looked at the first white envelope and flipped it over and excitement and joy wept engulfed her. "Onee-san wrote to me?!" She squealed. Her parents laughed and waved their good-byes.

Hinamori tossed the envelope onto her bed and hastily grabbed the other one, confusion overwhelming her now. She ran down the stair and caught sight of her parents pulling out of the driveway. They stopped and her father poked his head out the window.

"Are you alright, is something wrong?" he asked. Hinamori ran to his window.

"My mail…"

"I am sorry honey we've got to jet we can't be late. We'll talk later."

She watched her parents pull out and disappear in the distance. She slowly walked up to her room and picked up the envelope again on the from tag it read

It wasn't possible, right? She turned to pick up her sister's letter and quickly ripped it open.

Hinamori fell onto her computer chair after she read her sister's letter, traumatized. She heard the 'ding' of Matsumoto's online messenger she wrote: _Momo, you were going to tell me something, about Nichika? Are you still there?_

Hinamori quickly replied back to her saying she was sending an email. She went to work rapidly typing, not caring about her spelling and then she clicked send. She looked at her computer date, _December. 14, 2011. _

Matsumoto gasped as she finished reading Hinamori's email. She couldn't believe her eyes. Without thinking she yelled for Hitsugaya. He came up in a panic. "What, what's wrong Matsumoto?!"

She sat there shocked in Hitsugaya's computer chair and then she pointed to the screen. "Just scroll down to the bottom, don't read the first half please."

He quickly plopped himself in his second computer chair, and rolled over to his flat screen. His eyes flashed over the sentences, paragraphs, and message. His eyes went from panic, confusion, worry then sorrow. "What does this mean Matsumoto, I don't get it."

"What don't you get Toushirou; Momo's sister just sent her a letter."

"So?"

"Toushirou, her sister doesn't live here."

"Yeah I know that."

Matsumoto groaned. "Oh-my-god, Hinamori Tomoe is asking Momo to come home; her home is in Honshu Town!"

"In other words, she won't be _here!_"

Hitsugaya just scoffed. "I think you're over exaggerating Matsumoto, it's _just _a _letter._"

Matsumoto almost flipped as she grasped her hair. "Toushirou, you don't understand! The letter is telling her to come home, so in other words she's _moving back_ to Honshu Town!" Hitsugaya was speechless, almost scared.

Matsumoto was angry at herself for not knowing what to do, she was irritated at Hinamori and annoyed by her email, not only that she quickly scrolled up to the top and read the sentence her friend had written; _Mitsuru isn't who he seems to be… _she was angry at Hitsugaya for being such a clueless moron at this very moment.

Hinamori was aggravated by everything, not knowing what to do, and what Matsumoto was thinking. She didn't even know how to break the news to Hitsugaya! But what bothered the most was what her sister had written at the very end. _I know this is all sudden, but we'll explain this to you very soon. Kai and I will come pick you up…_

Hinamori looked at her calendar and realized how clueless she was about the time she had left and went back to the letter. _Tomorrow afternoon. _Hinamori only had one day left and in that period she probably only had time to say good-bye to one person, and she knew exactly who it was.

**Authors Note: Well there's Chapter Ten as promised! Another twist! Anywho I hope you all enjoyed it! I was typing like a maniac trying to write this in like four hours because I just realized my previous chapter just hit it's review limit, gosh school is a killer. Anywho I'll update when I hit ****75+ reviews**** sorry but school is really pushing my buttons. Review please! Thanks! Love you guys! And I hope you'll keep supporting! **


	11. The Goodbye Girl

Chapter 11

Winter had arrived in Karakura frivolously. The town was covered by a pristine blanket of snow that would last for several days until it turned to gray and yellow mush, creating impromptu piles of snow around the sidewalks and muddle puddles that would soon turn into an icy death slick. But for now everything was what everyone wanted, an early winter wonderland, and the perfect way to begin the super early Christmas break.

Hinamori's current mood was reflected by the weather cold, silent, maybe even deadly. She silently paced back and forth in her room early Friday morning on December.15, the last day of school and her first day to leave. Rechecking her luggage as the time passed, it was 9:00am, and school was over at noon which gave her time to make sure she had everything packed so she could leave early and maybe hit school for last minute good-byes.

No one had to know that she wasn't going to be here for the winter break, but word spread quickly through the school. Nothing was ever kept silent.

Hitsugaya sighed. Hinamori hadn't showed for school, great that was exactly what he need for her to leave without saying any words of good-byes as he might not ever see her again.

Matsumoto wasn't any better than her best friend; she no longer held her happy-go lucky mood as she roamed around the halls with her rain cloud of thunder and lightning. She was avoiding Nichika as she didn't feel like talking to him, she didn't want to be bothered even her and Hitsugaya promised to _never _speak of their friend's departure _ever. _

There was only three hours left before everyone was released for their early weekend plans. Everyone was talking, crying, and everywhere not for a moment was there any silence. Everyone was making a huge deal as if their friends were moving across the country, it was ridiculous. But for Matsumoto and Hitsugaya it was worse than that, it was like death.

Hinamori found her parents talking attentively to each other, fingers locked foreheads together and low. They were in their own whispered conversation, which was interrupted as Hinamori fled downstairs. They looked up at her sincerely but deep down their daughter saw their sadness. She forced a smile. "Well I'll be going now."

She threw on her white knee length winter coat rimmed with a fur hood, slipping on her white mittens that were too thin to even keep her fingers warm for at least an hour and lastly she stuffed her feet into black leather knee length heels that would kill her feet later on for sure.

The snow was powdery that would slip through delicate fingers like sand and then fall asleep again on its white blankets. It was light flurries as Hinamori strutted down the streets of Karakura Town heading to her friends that were wrapped around in the comfort and warmth of the school and their companions.

She ran into Ichigo and company but there was no Hitsugaya or Matsumoto soon after she quickly said her good-bye wishes to her friends then she was off to finding them again. But no luck prevailed as she went along the halls of the high school. In the end she never found them as they were said to have disappeared early. She left feeling more dishearten than ever.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, she flipped it open to find a picture which wasn't there before but she quickly ignored to as she pressed her phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Oh! Momo, it's good to hear you but it would be better to see you. Where are you?"

It was her sister. "Hi one-san, sorry I wasn't expecting you to come so early so I took a little morning walk through the park." She lied because the park was only five minutes away from her back yard. "I've got to go but I'll see you soon, I promise tell nii-san that I said hi. Thanks."

She heard a distant _See you soon and I miss you _in the background before she hung up. She gazed at her phone display, it was a picture that she never remembered seeing- a picture of her and Hitsugaya walking hand in hand through the hallways, she was totally oblivious to the picture but Hitsugaya had his head turned and he was winking in the shot. In the bottom right hand corner Matsumoto had signed the photograph tagged with hearts and xoxo's. With a barely illegible message in fine black print near the top left corner, **_forever, just you and me._ **It was signed with a heart.

Suddenly her pocket felt ten times heavier as she was gently squeezing the purple envelope that she now held in-between two fragile fingers. She couldn't leave just yet, not with out telling them how she felt.

She was dashing through the snow towards home then she burst through the doors, startling her family. Tomoe immediately almost tackled her sister to the floor, her husband following slowly after. Hinamori's hearted skipped a beat when she saw her family as she almost forgot about her current task. "Please you guys need to help me!"

Her sister and brother-in-law made no hesitation as they tossed her belongings in the back seat and trunk before heading out. They drove to the address Hinamori had instructed, screeching to an abrupt stop. Hinamori threw opened the car door and ran up the pathway leading to his doorstep. She knocked frantically.

A man with long white hair wrapped in a green blanket opened the door, he looked ill. "Is Hitsugaya here?!" Hinamori asked before he could ask for a name. He coughed, "I am sorry but my nephew hasn't returned from school. It's still 10:30."

The chocolate hair girl was about to leave before the man placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is everything alright?" he asked concerned as if he felt her nervousness flow through his arm. The petite girl gave slight shake of her head. "I-I…" she was stuttering.

"I came here to give him this." She shoved the purple envelope into the man's chest. "That's all I can do for him now…" her eyes were getting moist.

Ukitake looked at the girl in front of him with a frown. "Are you looking for him?" Hinamori just shrugged and then she forced a smile and bowed. "Thank you for your help, I'll be leaving now."

She walked halfway down the pathway. "Are you the one?" Hinamori was confused by his question as she turned back around to face him. "My name is Hinamori, Momo."

Ukitake nodded. "Yes of course you are." His kindness was wavering but his expression was still a warm welcome. "Go to the great wave." Were his last words of direction before he waved and shut the door. Hinamori didn't have to think twice before she was buckling herself in.

"Where to?" Kai asked.

"The park."

Tomoe's driving frightened her as she was going 80km in a 65km zone, racing and twisting passed cars as if she realized her sister's desperation. Hinamori stumbled out as she flung the door opened even before the vehicle came to a stop. She raced through the snow now having it picked up as it hit her face and melted like a raindrop down her face.

Twisting and twirling in circles trying to see if anyone occupied almost vacant park. She circled the park, while her siblings hardly kept up with her. The whole time she couldn't stop thinking about him. This was their place now marked with one of their most passionate moments. She spent more time here than anywhere but home- so much time that her parents joked about how the park was where she truly lived, while home was just a place she visited.

Her memories were invading her trail of thoughts. _Shiro-chan, Shiro-chan, Shiro-chan… _"Hitsugaya!" she saw him, she swore her eyes weren't playing tricks on her as she barely missed his white head floating by behind the community centre. But he never came into view. He probably didn't hear her so she tried again. "HITSUGAYA!"

Perfect. He came into view shocked, and confused as he tried to locate the source of the voice. He saw her as she saw him. She was running towards him who was frozen in shock, he didn't know what was happening until she threw her arms around his neck. "Hitsugaya!" she breathed.

She was panting against his neck; he blinked a few times before slowly and instinctively wrapped his arms around her skinny waist gently tightening his hold on her until she was grasping again him. He bent his head so that his nose was buried in Hinamori's hair. It smelled of peaches followed by a sweet stronger sent and he inhaled deeply.

Her formed creased to shake and then it was just the two of them tightly embracing, slowly inhaling each other's scent, and enjoying the warmth of one another as the flakes covered then dissolved into water soaking them. Hinamori withdrew so she could now lean her forehead on his and close her eyes. Tears were beginning to brim. "You came back." Hitsugaya breathed onto her face. She nodded.

"Did you change your mind, are you not moving?"

Hinamori just shook her head, responding to both questions. Hitsugaya was confused. She didn't change her mind yet she wasn't moving. "So why did you come back?" he said his tone a little bit lifeless. She opened her eyes.

"I came to say good-bye and-"

"There's no point then." Hitsugaya sharply cut in. His eyes narrowed and his frown was back.

"What?" Hinamori gasped. "I don't understand."

"You got a letter from your sister in _Honshu Town _which means you're moving back-"

"Where did you get the idea that I was moving?!" Hinamori shrieked. Now both of them were confused. "Hitsugaya I don't know what you're thinking but I am _not _moving, it's only a temporary visit for my sister and she has some _big _news for me apparently, but I am not moving."

Hitsugaya's pain lowered. Good she wasn't moving and she was coming back.

"Will you be gone for long?" he asked.

"I'll be gone for the whole winter break."

Damn. Now that was a low blow for him, he had a whole set of plans for them and now it was ruined. She brushed his cheek with a thin gloved hand, her coldness seeping through the thin fabric. "I'll miss you everyday I am gone." She whispered lowering her gaze to the ground.

"Hinamori don't." he placed a finger on her lips.

"Don't go I can't let you. Please you stay with me." His voice was barely above a whisper. Now Hinamori was nervous.

"Hitsugaya, I-I can't. I've got family that I need to be with it's only for three weeks. Please understand."

He wasn't. "Hinamori if you really want to be with me, you'll stay with me and won't go."

Now who was being selfish? Hinamori shook her head. _I can't _she mouthed. Hinamori reached behind his head and brought his head down before he could say anymore. Her lips were passionate, lustful, and gentle yet they were trembling against his as she knew how much it was going to hurt him to be away.

She withdrew away and stepped back licking her lips. "I have to go, I am sorry." Her eyes sparkling with tears. Hitsugaya reached for her but she just shook her head. "They're waiting for me."

"I'll see you soon, I promise. Please understand Hitsugaya I am doing this for my family. I'll call, write and do whatever just understand that I _need_ to do this."

But she didn't understand why she was doing this, her family never gave her a reason on why she was suddenly going back home. She left the park, the place that was theirs. There again- not just herself, but her and Hitsugaya, a place that felt both familiar and strange. They left as the snow picked up worsening; she dropped Hitsugaya off at home without a backward glance or good-bye he shut the door. Her family drove to Onose Cemetery, there she stood with her sister and brother-in-law, "Hi brother, it's been a while..." She licked her lips again as an icy yet sweet taste still lingered.

Hitsugaya arrived home, wet and cold but he couldn't care less as he went up to his room not sparing a glance or a word to his uncle. On his computer was a message from Matsumoto. _I don't know about you, but I insist that you talk to her and tell her how you feel. Found out your status in her life once and for all. _ With a pang, Hitsugaya realized tomorrow was the official start of the Christmas holidays, and he wouldn't see Hinamori, Momo for a whole three weeks. Hitsugaya saw the purple envelope on his desk, but he never opened it as he saw the words printed in fine black print _**Forever, just you and me**_, it was signed along with a mini heart. _**I'll miss you.**_ Hitsugaya realized just how late Matsumoto's words were.

**Authors Note: Okay so Matsumoto did get a little bit over her head in the last chapter, but I still had to make Hinamori go because there's going to be a very interesting person coming into her life. Anyways just for the heads up she won't be gone for the whole three weeks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review! Thanks guys! I'll update once I hit ****80+ reviews.** **I know I wrote 75+ but I meant to put 70! Sorry! Well an early update is better. ;) **


	12. Two Weeks Without You

Chapter 12

There she sat at her laptop typing mindlessly as her friends from Karakura Town wrote their stories across the chat log, she paid no attention to them whatsoever as she was trying to concentrate on how to make her career forms more _professional_. She clicked the red X at the top of the chat box and then signed off with out a word of good-bye.

A silent _beeping _from downstairs signalled that someone had entered the household. She slipped her unfinished forms into a yellow envelope and trotted her way down the wooden staircase covered with green patterned fabric in black thong sandals. "Welcome home." She greeted her brother-in-law as he wiped off the additional specks of snow on his black jacket and then stopping off the excess coat on his boots. He placed his dripping wet umbrella to the side and then he pivoted to extend a hand out to his wife who was dry and untouched by the undomesticated storm that was beginning to shower over Honshu.

In her arms was a little girl covered in pink with black shoulder length hair which reflected a deep blue in the light, her eyes were a light purple. They stared back at each other. Tomoe shook the girl, "Come on Yui, say hi." Silence followed through as the girl's clutch tightened on Tomoe's shoulder. Hinamori blinked. Tomoe gave her sister an angelic smile while her husband was grinning. "Momo this isYui, She's shy but you'll get use to her. She's 3 years and 4 months old, I'd like for you two to get acquainted with each other as she is your niece."

Hinamori stared at the girl once more this time perplexed. She didn't know what to say instead she gave a slight nod and a nervous laugh.

Hitsugaya laid on his bed with his headphones in each ear, music blaring as he drummed his fingers to 'Fake it by Seether,' staring at nothing but his bumpy, uneven and plain white ceiling.

His door opened slightly as a strawberry blonde woman poked her head in, she frowned and threw open his door letting it hit the wall.

Hitsugaya was unaware as the lyrics were blasting in his eardrums until they cut off his eyes snapped open and his friend was leaning over him glaring with her hands on hips. He glared and frowned. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me, stop sitting on your ass all weekend long and get on your comp and start answering your messages!"

She pointed at finger at his black screen, which was on standby for the moment being until Matsumoto shuffled the mouse then the sound of the computer starting was heard. The white hair prodigy groaned into his hands. _Just leave me alone, _he cursed silently.

Meanwhile Matsumoto was already signing onto his email and his offline messages had appeared, brightly blinking but she paid no attention as his email window popped up. He apparently had 15 _new _messages and 14 unread in his trash can awaiting him. She never clicked the mail icon but left the window up and turned back over to her cantankerous friend who was now sitting up. "My emails are none of _your _business." He grumbled.

"They've been my business ever since everyone's been asking me where and what the hell you've been up to!"

The man swung his legs over his bedside and snapped to a standing position and then he was walking over to Matsumoto who was now being showed to the door. "Hey!"

The door slammed in her face and he proceeded to lock it, leaning against it he turned his attention to his extremely bright flat screen. His frowned deepened. His friends were blinking rapidly all asking the same questions, _how's it going? Where are you? Is everything okay? Whoa…dude you won't know what happened… _The messages went on for centuries. He closed all flashing windows.

Now for his emails, he tapped the envelope icon and his screen flashed to another window. In his inbox were ten emails from his close buddies, and five from _her_. He sighed. He absently replied to all emails until he fell on _her _first email, it was a Happy Birthday message with a secret birthday card. _So she did remember. Wow…_he thought sarcastically, he didn't bother to open the secret birthday card now two days belated. He hadn't checked his mail for four days. He went back to the inbox icon and marked his entire inbox messages and clicked _delete._

Hinamori laid on her bed as she spread her hands out towards the ceiling reaching as if she could almost feel the dried paint beneath her fingers. A light tap came from the door and her sister popped her head in. "Hey. What do you want for lunch?" Hinamori just shrugged and sat up straight crossing her legs in the process. "Anything's fine, surprise me." She joked. Tomoe stared at her sister in confusion or maybe out of suspicion, "Is everything alright?" Hinamori's gaze fell to the floor as she plucked the lint of her bed spread.

Tomoe sighed, and stepped in revealing her whole figure that was covered by a pair of dark blue jeans that clung to her skinny legs on top was a layer of different colours all overlapped by a thin white jacket. "Is it something we can talk about?"

Hinamori's gaze slipped to the side and back again and she nodded. "Is it something you want to talk about?" Hinamori's fingers twitched now tangled in the loose threads of her blanket. She took a deep long breath and exhaled. "Yes and no."

Tomoe closed her eyes as she was now seated on the edge of the mattress; she placed a soft, warm hand on Hinamori's shoulder. "I won't force you to talk to me, but if you don't talk to someone, nothing can be understood." She squeezed her shoulder. "I am telling you this not because I wantyou to _talk_ to someone, but as your older sister; the one who's worried and cares about you."

She hugged Hinamori to her, and kissed her forehead lightly. "I am always here for you, even Kai is so don't forget that or ever think you're alone. We love you."

Tomoe drew back and smiled their mother's smile telling that she had to begin lunch. Hinamori watched her sister's retreating form disappear down the hall. Her attention turned towards her PC, she just recently returned all her emails so she had none in her inbox but not once had she received the replies of the twenty emails she had sent to _him. _

She sighed and shut off the screen then made her way down to the kitchen. There she found Tomoe preparing lunch while Kai was kneeling in front of Yui doing 'the Finger Thing,' The Finger Thing was her favourite thing, Hinamori found it tedious but Yui was always indulged just like when her and Tomoe were younger.

Kai stopped in-between his little game when he sensed his sister-in-law standing at the doorway to the kitchen, he smiled and beckoned her to him. She hesitated as she saw Yui stare at her with pout but soon it was replaced with a smile. "Auntie, auntie come come!" her niece chanted while waving her hands in the air. Hinamori smiled and came over. Kai was staring at her, "What?" Kai's smirk widened. "Well what are you waiting for? Entertain her!" Hinamori was confused, what was she suppose to do? Until Kai wiggled his fingers, she got the idea and rolled her eyes.

"You did this yesterday." She protested.

"Today is _today_." Yui wined.

"All right, but only once."

"_All_ the fingers!" she was bouncing up and down.

Kai chuckled and stood and helped prepare lunch with his wife. Hinamori turned back to her niece and prepared the show. She could scare Yui into believing that she could dismember herself. If you fold your left index finger onto itself, it looks as if you're missing two joints. Then you curl your right index finger over your right thumb against the second link of your left index finger. This makes your thumb extend from the index finger on the other hand.

Hinamori struggled, trembled, tugged and tugged. She grimaced and grunted-Uh! - And pulled off her fingertip. A moment later she reconnected it-Ah!

Yui squealed, clapped and bounced more at the sight. "Again!"

There was no point in resisting. She continued to tug the same finger off-Ugh! - Then replaced it-Ah! - And wiggled her fingers to show that she was intact again.

"The next one!" Yui shouted. Hinamori went through the process with both hands this time until she finished with her pinkie. "Again, again do it again!" Yui chanted.

Hinamori felt resigned but amused, so she went along and did what the child wanted and amazed Yui with these miraculous regenerative powers. She couldn't have been more thrilled. She probably thought Hinamori could heal any imaginable wound could soothe any loss or feelings of sadness. If only.

Hitsugaya sat at his computer, finally messaging his friends. They were out of control revealing their winter break stories and new secrets. Hitsugaya just stared in amusement as the words and sentences popped up endlessly after the first, none of them had asked Hitsugaya about his weekend. _Thank god._

Then that's when his fingers twitched over the keyboard as he was about to reply to his friends pointless remarks. _She _was on. There in a white messenger box was her name, _Hinamori Momo. _He watched the box disappear behind his task bar and waited. Nothing. He decided to ignore it as he continued with his chat room of friends, half of them all on vacation and across the world from him.

He decided just out of _curiosity _to open his friends list when he happened to still see her name with no busy or away status there she was completely _online_. Hitsugaya's stomach twisted. He double clicked her name, and sat there and stared at the empty white chat box as the blinking cursor made his head spin. He jumped when the phone rang. _God. _

He knew he should answer it as his uncle was not home it was only him, he waited for everything to fall silent, but it just kept ringing like it was broken. Pissed, he snatched it off it's receiver on the seventh ring. "Hello?"

"Hi Toushirou!" It was Matsumoto. He didn't know whether or not he was relieved or annoyed. He turned on his speakers and let his itunes list play away; rolling away from his desk he spun around out of boredom in the middle of his room listening to his friend blabbing forgetting his trail of thoughts.

Tomoe sat in front of a computer as she filled in her online forms and wrote out her work papers. After she finished lunch she disappeared upstairs while she could still hear her family's laughter below. Glancing back towards the door, Kai nodded, she clicked her friend's display name and then her fingers flew across the keyboard.

Meanwhile down below, Hinamori finished her little game with Yui and was now slowly feeding her niece.

"Say 'ah.'" Yui just shook her head and pouted.

"I don't want to eat that!" she complained.

"Sweetie, please. If you don't eat it your mommy's not going to be happy."

"No!" she swatted at her auntie's hand.

"Fine, I'll try it first." Hinamori placed the spoon in her mouth and then she rubbed her stomach. "Mmmm. Yummy, tastes like chocolate."

Yui's eyes widened. "Gimme!"

Hinamori smiled and placed a spoonful of cream chowder in her niece's mouth. The girl grimaced. "Yuck! Auntie Momo, you lie!" Hinamori just laughed and she slowly kept on feeding the girl who reminded her to much of her own self.

Tomoe sat on the computer chair frowning at the screen, he hadn't replied back to her and all she said was _hi. _She sent the message ten minutes ago while her and Kai waited for a response both nervous.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Kai asked.

"It's the only way."

"But-"

The messenger sent back. _**Hey…**_

Tomoe and Kai stared at each other and then Kai slowly walked over and leaned over his wife's shoulder. She went to work quickly.

_Hi. I've been thinking for a while now. We need to talk._

_**Sure, what's on your mind?**_

Tomoe wrote quickly; a paragraph of thoughts.

Hitsugaya stared at the paragraph. Each word was tearing him apart. She had written out her heart to him: _I don't know how to start, but this is the only way I can say it without having to read or hear your emotions so just hear me out. You don't even have to reply to this. I don't know what you've been up to or if you've even got me emails. Are you even in town? Was it something I did, I thought I told you to understand that I need to be here? I told you that I'd miss you everyday I am gone and yes I do. But I feel like you've just taken that for granted. Are you trying to push me away? I just need to know Hitsugaya, was any of it real? Was it even working? Just please stop leaving me wondering… _He didn't reply, only the lyrics of the song _Glory/Us by Acceptance_ in the background played through his head.

_ Everything changes the colours we see (All tied in one)  
Constant reminder of all that we should  
Taking it back (All tied in one)  
Turning around, turning around (Glory and us come to...)  
Everything changes the colours we see (All tied in one)  
Constant reminder of all that we should (Honesty waits here forever)  
Turning around, turning around (I've been undone)  
Glory is waiting.  
_

Tomoe and Kai waited, disappointed. They had both been watching their sister very closely with out her even realizing it. They knew everything from the day they had left Karakura Town, Hinamori was suffering in pain and sorrow over one guy that might of taken her heart away. Tomoe remember Hinamori talking in her sleep of her days back in Karakura but never once had she not spoken his name for at least one night. Tomoe's mind got the best of her and she just had enough so she wanted to find out what was the cause of her sister's pain. She remembered Hinamori told her _everything _but left out the small yet significant details of her young lover. Her first day of school, the dance, the lock down, and the funeral, that was it not once did she mention her intimate relationship with this Hitsugaya, Toushirou.

She figured out everything from the way Hinamori spoke at night, her cell phone display and text messages, and lastly all the emails she had wrote to him which she had saved but never did she receive a single reply.

"Mommy?" Yui's light voice chimed through the room, Yui had her arms around her aunt's neck. Hinamori's gaze narrowed, worried yet defensive. She saw Kai press the esc button on a chat box when he felt her presence coming up the stairs. She placed Yui gently on two feet but kept her hold on her hand. The little girl stared at Hinamori, "Auntie Momo?"

"What are you doing?" Hinamori said calmly even though her eyes wavered.

Tomoe and Kai looked away from her. "Momo, I think it's about time we discussed something long over due."

Hinamori drew in a long hissy breath. "Why are you snooping through my personal space?"

"We _know _what's bothering you."

Hinamori bit her lip. "So what, he's just a guy." She brushed it off like it was nothing but it was everything to her. Yui tugged on her auntie's hand and Hinamori gently brushed her baby soft skin with her thumb. "It's okay." Hinamori said with confidence.

Tomoe and Kai exchanged glances. "Momo, I think it's about time we discussed why _you _wanted to come here."

Too late. The phone rang and everyone froze. Kai picked it up from its receiver; he didn't recognize the caller so he extended it out towards the petite girl standing in the doorway. "I think it's for you."

**Authors Note: Hitsugaya's still mad at Hinamori for leaving so yeah he's been kind of an ass. Both of them are dealing with the difficulties of being away from one another well at least Hinamori is making effort of the situation but she's been trying to avoid it at the same time. Since she's an auntie, she needs even more time. Just to clear the air Yui **_**is**_** the new important person in her life. I'll update once I get **_**92+ reviews**_** so until next time! The next chapter, is going to be titled- **_**What Do You Go Home to? **_


	13. What Do You Go Home to?

Chapter 13

_Please, tell him I am not here! _She was silently mouthing and making hand signs saying I am _not _here. But Kai just shook the phone back and forth rocking it in his fingers meanwhile Tomoe was making the pick it up hand sign. Yui seemed to be enjoying their little game of charade; she was jumping up and down.

The phone kept on ringing so the caller _did _know they were home. On the tenth ring Kai gave up and clicked on, then it seemed as time stopped as every movement and sound blew away. Hinamori placed her hands on her hips and _hmph!_ She slowly reached for the phone and gulped.

"Hello?" she said almost above a whispered, her mouth was dry.

"Oh!" the phone slipped from her hands as Yui was still tugging on her other hand. Hinamori watched the phone in slow-mo as it flipped, twisted and landed on the carpet floor with a 'thud.' Her heart skipped a beat and then it seemed to spring back into action as she lunged for the black mobile. She drew it to her ear, "Hello, Hello?!"

The only answer is the dial tone.

"No, no, no!" she was shaking the phone in her hand. She looked at the caller ID, it revealed the number but the caller was _unknown_. "Please, oh please call back!"

Kai and Tomoe exchanged expressions and sighed as they watched their sister kneeling on the pink carpet screaming at the receiver. Yui was crying, scared.

"Auntie Momo what's wrong?!"

Hinamori was spread out on the floor, pounding and wriggling on the carpet floor. She stopped for a moment to calm herself down and took a long, deep, and ragged breath.

"Why isn't he calling back?!" Hinamori turned toward her sister as she was now sitting with her legs against her side.

"Why can't you just call back?" Tomoe said crossing her arms while arching an eyebrow. Hinamori frowned and glared. Her sister ignored it, and walked passed her to her crying daughter, soothing her with a hand on her back and telling her _it's okay and shh…_

Kai walked up to his sister-in-law and extended a hand out to her. He pulled her up in one swift heave. Her siblings were already hastily heading downstairs, she stared after them confused.

"Hey, w-what are you doing, what about the call?!"

"Momo would you stop?!" Tomoe shouted from the bottom of the stairs annoyed.

"And get down here?!" Kai called after.

Hinamori didn't decline and she stumbling down the stairs as her family was already dressed in full winter gear, Yui's eyes were puffy even as she hid behind her mother's shoulder. Hinamori felt a sting of guilt. "I am sorry, Yui…"

She never finished her sentence as she looked over her three relatives upfront.

"Where are you going?"

Kai and Tomoe sighed once again, their sister really was dense. "Momo, I think it's about time we all went out somewhere as a family."

Not another word was going to be said unless another talked first.

It was a quiet road trip to wherever they were heading.

The roads and sidewalks were a deathly ice slick even under layers and layers of old and newly fresh snow. Everywhere was a pure white paradise as families, couples, and friends were seen playing under the light flurries.

Hinamori shivered, she hated the cold. It was the worse season in her opinion well maybe next to the hot scorching heat of summer but it was winter and she despised it.

Yui was strapped safely next to her in her own mini seat. Her tiny fingers barely able to wrap around three of Hinamori's as she watched her niece's angelic sleeping form.

Hinamori was getting impatient and nervous at the same time.

"Where are we going?"

"Take a look outside."

"I can't see a thing; the windows are covered with snow."

"Then I guess you'll just have to wait." Kai chimed.

Hinamori scowled, it was one thing being kept like a hostage but being ignored and having something kept secret from her was a pet-peeve. She remembered her pink ipod in her bag, she untangles the wires and plugged the ear pieces in and tuned the volume till the background was no longer audible. Lost in her music she fell asleep to the lyrics of 'Falling Through.'

_Fallen through  
Why did I fall for you  
Fallen for  
All the lies, alibis, that you said  
Left me holding on by the last thread_

_Stop, stare, and watch me burn  
Someday it'll be your turn  
Can't fool me, I can see all the things  
that you don't want me to see  
You threw my heart away  
That's the price that I paid  
I know it's never fair, promised me  
You'd always be there  
But you never really cared_

Hinamori woke up the beeping of a horn. "Rise and shine sleeping beauties!" Both Yui and Hinamori stirred and fluttered their eyes open. They had stopped but Hinamori still couldn't see where they had parked. Kai had opened the door and stood like a gentleman waiting for his sister to exit.

Hinamori unbuckled herself and Yui, stuffed her ipod away and scooped her niece in her arms. The light 'crunch' of snow came from her feet as she stepped outside onto land, she handed over Yui to her brother and stretched and yawned. Her neck and shoulders had a burning sensation and the coldness didn't make it any better as a shiver was sent up her spine when the wind blew up her jacket.

She threw her hood over her head and crossed her arms over her chest while following her siblings to a two story pink house with a white balcony, _still _not noticing her surroundings.

_2 hours later._

"I can't believe you brought me back!" Hinamori shouted throwing her arms in the air.

"Welcome home to you too." Hinamori, Fujitaka mumbled, slipping out the dining room as he headed for the phone to call his wife. Tomoe sat on Kai's lap as they discussed their return.

"Well I am glad you appreciate our help." Kai mumbled under his breath as he stared out the giant window into yet another winter wonderland, now in Karakura Town. He played with his wife's hair burying his head into the conjunctions of her neck and kissed her smooth skin. Hinamori felt uncomfortable with the public display of affection even if it was under her own roof.

"I never told you that I wanted to come back, I said three weeks it's only been _two_!"

"Are you listening to yourself?!"

"What?!"

"Momo, you _wanted _to come back, you _needed _to."

"What so it's like a drug now?"

"Exactly, and you know exactly 'what' I am talking about."

Hinamori clenched her teeth; she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs but not with Yui a few rooms down.

"You have no idea-"

"Go to your room."

"What?" Hinamori gasped.

"Go to your room." It was more like a hint than a command. Hinamori cocked an eyebrow at her sister. _Just do it now, _was what both her siblings were telling her. She just pivoted on one foot and marched towards her room with her siblings following close behind.

"I don't know where you're heading with this…" Hinamori whispered as she slowly opened her door to not wake up her niece. She stood in the middle of her room and looked around; it looked _exactly _the same when she left it. She turned around to the door and shrugged with her arms.

"You're not _looking_." Tomoe hissed. Hinamori turned back around. "What? I don't see anything-oh."

There on her tan computer desk was a pile of envelopes, she walked over and looked at the first one it was from her high school friends. _That's right. Their all on vacation. _She continued to dig through the pile until she landed on an emerald green envelope. It only had a mailing address but no return. She turned it over and it was only sealed with a white rose sticker. She felt sick as her stomach did an unexpected flip.

"I'll drive." Kai's voice rung in her ears.

She nodded. "Thanks."

"Auntie?" Yui's voice was quiet, almost sad. Hinamori walked over to her and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "I'll be right back, I promise." She half lied, not knowing when she'd actually see her niece again. She headed for the door taking one last glance at the girl with her mother's purple eyes and her father's jet blue hair that was only noticeable when the light reflects. It was like she was looking a mirror image of her younger self just with different eyes and hair. She waved at the petite girl before telling her to go back to sleep.

Kai's driving wasn't as hectic as her sister's probably due to the weather that was now picking up and maybe even worse than Honshu. It was like driving down memory lane as the images flashed back exactly the same just everything was white and sparkling under the street lights and it was getting dark. Like last time, she flung open the door without waiting for the car to come to a full halt.

Running up the pathway, she stopped at the door now. Standing still as if instantly frozen. She could do this, she had to do this. It was like visiting an old friend to say a little 'hi, how are you?' but Hinamori knew it was nothing that like. She just thought it to comfort herself. Slowly reaching up she placed a thin white gloved hand flat against his white door.

The car horn made her jump, she spun around as Kai and Tomoe were signalling her to hurry up. She swore she made out the words _hurry up or you're on your own till tomorrow morning. _Their faces disappeared from the window as Tomoe's breath fogged up the passenger glass.

Hinamori leaned out to peek through the window, lights and everything was on, maybe even a television but she was surprised no one looked out to see if anyone was parked at the front. Then suddenly the horn went off again followed by another _long _'beep' she snapped around and saw her siblings laughing and fighting each other. _Sorry, _she read their lips but now her attention was alerted back to the door as she heard some go _what the f- _her heart was pounding, her eyes wide and she was spinning around like an idiot on the doorstep.

And suddenly the door flung open, and there he was in a tight muscle shirt and dark blue boxer shorts. _Hitsugaya. _How she longed to say his name out loud for so long but now it was jammed somewhere deep inside her chest. Her arms were around themselves cuddling them to her body to keep herself warm. She broke eye contact with him first and she turned around.

"Sorry I shouldn't have come." She dropped her arms and twisted around but he caught her elbow. That was the cue for Kai and Tomoe as they were now smoothly driving down the block. Hinamori's mouth fell open and she now glared at the house across the street, she could have literally burned it down if she had some sort of fire power.

She suddenly felt a shiver run up her arm as she sensed that Hitsugaya had stepped into the night barefoot. She closed her eyes and bit her lip but snapped them open before facing him with a calm expression. Her right arm was awkwardly twisted and she tried to turn around properly to face him. He tugged her forward and dropped her arm.

"You're freezing, you should come inside."

There was really no other option for her any way as her relatives turned to ditchers.

Meanwhile, Kai and Tomoe were driving madly back towards Momo's house.

"Are you sure she'll be alright?"

"Yeah I am positive."

"I mean we just left her."

"Relax; she is after all a Hinamori. We never really do anything wrong even though we're all naïve we always get through somehow plus I am sure he's a great guy."

"And how do you know this?"

"He's really really, I mean _really _romantic." Tomoe sighed, Kai twitched.

"So?"

Tomoe laughed. "Have you read the kid's poems?"

Hinamori shrugged off her damp jacket, and heels which killed her feet. She slipped her gloves off and placed them on a chair next to the entrance with her scarf. Her socks were wet along with the sleeves of her sweater and the bottom of her jeans. She began to tremble even in this overly warm house.

"Here." Hitsugaya threw her the green blanket that she recognized the last time when his uncle answered the door which made her realize that he wasn't home. It was just the two of them, alone together. Hinamori shivered again, she couldn't tell if it was the presence of him or if it was for the fact that she shouldn't feel the tips of her fingers or toes. And her hair was dripping wet. She was definitely coming down with a cold soon.

Hitsugaya cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Are you okay?"

"F-f-f reez-zing-g." she stuttered. Hitsugaya wrapped his hand around hers but pulled back as soon as they got in contact with each other due to either the coldness of her skin or the electricity that ran through them when they touched.

"Jesus." He looked at her all damp figure, she was beautiful. He shook the thought out of his head.

"I think we need to get you into some dry clothes."

He led her to his room and dug through his closet as she stood shivering at his doorway. Her teeth were chattering. He decided to run her a hot bath before she changed into his overly large black t-shirt with a blue Chinese dragon twisting around the hip starting from the left shoulder.

_God. _It felt so good to be in a nice hot bath, the water was immediately warm when she stepped in. She almost fell asleep before Hitsugaya knocked on the door making her realize where she truly was. She quickly got dressed wearing nothing but his large t-shirt over her undergarments. She never felt so naked.

Downstairs, Hitsugaya had made two cup of hot chocolate when she arrived it was already set on the table. They hadn't really said one word to each other since she stood on his doorstep, she smiled satisfied with the fact that they weren't saying anything. Either of them wanted to talk _yet_.

Hitsugaya paused when he saw her wearing nothing but his medium t-shirt that seemed to large on her petite figure, he gulped. God she looked even more attractive with her wet hair cascading over her shoulders and down her back. He couldn't even get started on her legs. He mentally screamed at himself.

She sat down pushing the chair as far as it could go towards the table, he was next to her. Their elbows almost touching on the table but when they bumped, Hinamori turned her head last minute and their noses grazed. Both of them paused, she hadn't realized that he was so close to her, "Oops." Hinamori whispered. She just looked away, blushing while Hitsugaya continued to lean. _Oh god. _Hinamori thought until she realized that he was just reaching for the sugar jar.

**Authors Note: Awkward Much? Well she's back home, and now things have changed between them, for the good or bad? We'll find out soon enough ;) Anywho I didn't bother to proof read this as it is 1:44AM and I've got school in 5 hours. AH! Anywho my next update will probably be somewhere on the second week of May because I've got projects due next weeks. But I'll _try _and update at _115+ reviews. (For 2 weeks that ain't bad) _AND I AM SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! I log on and I have like 104 reviews I was like whoa..O.O Thank you to those who've kept up with me and you know who you are, yes you're very special! :D Thank you Snowy Peach Tsubasa for reviewing for all my chapters even though you've just started reading! And last but not least please review again!  
**


	14. Break The Ice

Chapter 14

She woke struggling for breath, aching from injuries long healed into scars. Last night's dream was more like watching and living through a nightmare, her first beating and close to rape experience.

Yet she wasn't the one being forced down while having her clothes ripped and removed to the side, it was her best friend Matsumoto Rangiku. The scene seemed vaguely familiar as she just watched through the glass window of room 200, class B as her friend struggled against her captor.

He hit her across the side of the head and shoved her to the floor as she screamed. Hinamori was just a spirit in her own nightmare reliving an experience but in her place was her best friend as she fought against the ropes and duck tape. The picture began to distort as the captor began slowly removing his own clothing as well the remains of his victim, but before Hinamori couldn't see what happened next she had woke covered in cold sweat staring at a white ceiling.

Later she had woken in a different position finding herself snuggled against the beautiful, muscular yet soft skin of Hitsugaya's chest. Sometime while they had slept Hitsugaya had returned to his bed shirtless; sleeping next to her. One of his arms was casually draped around her waist. She felt content in his arms: beautiful and proud as they radiated savage protective strength.

For a moment she paused to admire the beautiful form stretched out beside her, his white silky hair tousled on a green emerald pillow, the smooth human skin that was warmer than the morning air.

The illusion did not last. The mixture of mid-winter afternoon air, Hitsugaya's heat, and the nightmare had left Hinamori uncomfortably sweltering. Her cheek rested on his chest and beneath was the sound of a strong and calm heartbeat.

Hitsugaya woke at the sound of her sigh. She felt his chest rise and fall in a silent breath and his arm around her waist tightened for a moment in a companionable hug.

"Afternoon."

_Afternoon? _Had they really slept that long?

Yes. The clear blue sky had shown through the window revealing a pure white town still covered in yesterday's snow that was five centimetres higher.

"I am sorry," she apologized by reflex as she started to push herself up.

"It's okay," he responded, his voice was soft and a little too warm for her liking. He did not release her instantly, and she found herself hesitating, trying not to stare into his gorgeous eyes that at the moment were frighteningly intense. "It's not an unpleasant way to wake up."

_Maybe not to him, _she thought bitterly but somehow she couldn't argue. He let her go and she stood hastily; he followed more slowly, but as she stepped out into the hallway and the colours of the rest of the house came into view, he caught her arm.

Her mind kept flashing snippets of memories and last night's horror film as she tried to deal with the present.

Nichika was the one, who had attacked Matsumoto in her dream, and he was the one who did the same to her but two months ago just before the lock down. She remembered being bruised and aching from the beating as her head spun when he hit her across the temple and the impact of her fall down a flight of stairs.

"Hinamori, there's no need to be frightened and startled."

Only when he said it did she realize she _was _frightened, enough that she could feel her heartbeat in her temples and wrists, fast with nervousness. Hitsugaya and Nichika were nothing alike; she repeated the words in her mind over and over.

"What are you afraid of?" Hitsugaya asked as she yanked her arm out of his grip. "You had no fear until this instant or when I saw you last night sleeping."

She ignored him, picking her way light headedly towards the bathroom and trying to remember which wall the door was on.

"You came to me, Hinamori. Showed up on my doorstep, wanting something from me and you weren't pushing me away," he stated. "What else is there?"

She turned back to face him, wishing she could simply sink into the wall she was leaning against. "I can't explain."

"Why not?" he asked, and though his voice was gentle she could tell he wasn't going to let her worm her way out of this easily. He stepped toward her, and Hinamori flinched as he planted one hand on the wall to each side of her shoulders. "What are you afraid of?" he asked softly. "Are you afraid I'll recognize that you're pretending to be _just friends _when ever we're in the presence of one another?"

With feather light fingertips that barely grazed her skin, he traced the veins on her left arm, finally settling on the tear drop that was marked on her left hand. "Or is it that I'll know whose made this mark?" he touched the side of her head.

Her throat was choked around the knot that must have been her heart, which jumped from her chest on the mental image of Mitsuru, Nichika.

She jumped when he reached for her with his other hand, but all he did was brush a lock of hair out of her face. Hitsugaya's proximity was awakening more than her instincts.

"I am not going to hurt you," Hitsugaya whispered. He lowered his lips to her throat, and she relaxed in the familiar position. "What terrifies you is not this…" his breath was hot on her neck. "…but of this?"

He almost kissed her when his phone rang. _Damn phone._

Hinamori pulled back, slamming her back against the green wall as she pushed Hitsugaya away.

"Hinamori…"

"Hitsugaya let me go."

He hesitated. "Hinamori-" he began again, and she again interrupted, "Let go of me." He released her suddenly she had to bite back a gasp. "I am sorry."

Hitsugaya spun in movement as he quickly fled back to his room to retrieve the phone.

Meanwhile Hinamori had dashed to the washroom slipping on her jeans and socks that she found neatly folding on a laundry basket. She grabbed her other pieces of clothing and took the steps down stairs two at a time before she threw on her winter coat and stumbled on her boots. Quickly snatching her scarf and gloves on the chair left in the exact same place that she remembered she opened the door to find her brother-in-law's black Mercedes S55 AMG down the pathway.

_He must have been the one who called. _Hinamori heard Hitsugaya's footsteps from the hall and she turned around to see him at the top of the staircase without another glance behind her she stalked out the door with his dragon t-shirt underneath her winter coat. She called out to him before stepping into her brother's car "See you in a week!"

_Monday _at school, Hitsugaya gave Hinamori the cold shoulder. He sat next to Matsumoto in the cafeteria and didn't save her a seat. She waved at the two of them but only Nichika waved back. When school let out, she saw Hitsugaya by the lockers laughing at something Nichika had said. Nichika gave her an apologetic glance. "Catch you later man," he patted Hitsugaya on the back. "Later Momo."

"Bye Mitsuru." she said. "Hi Hitsugaya…"

He didn't reply. He continued to put his books in his bag without looking at her.

"Come on, Shiro." she pleaded.

"What?" He shrugged as if he just realized she was standing there.

"What do you mean 'what'? You know what," she said eyes flashing. Part of her was infuriated with his poor-me act.

"You didn't call me back all weekend. Heck you didn't even return my emails through the whole break!"

"Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." He shrugged.

"Are you mad at me because of what happened over break?" she demanded. "Because that is really idiotic for someone like you."

"Do you like, _like _him or something?" Hitsugaya asked a stricken look on his face. "That loser?"

Hinamori was taken back. She didn't understand. "What?"

"Mitsuru, Nichika." He spat his name.

"But you just happen to be _talking _to that _loser._"

Hitsugaya scowled. "Is there something I am missing between you two?"

Hinamori felt guilty of something she couldn't even understand or yet explain. Okay, sure they had history it's just she hadn't shown him interest- and yes, okay she used to think he was smart, handsome, and athletic; he did everything effortlessly. Yet he turned into a total jerk. But just because she decided to avoid him, she'd been seen with him twenty four-seven ever since school re-opened. It bothered her so much that she couldn't think properly.

"You're so jealous," she accused.

"Of what?" Hitsugaya cocked an eyebrow.

"I don't know but you are." She flailed, shrugging her shoulders in frustration. She assumed at some level that Hitsugaya wished he were more like Nichika. Yet she didn't know how to explain to him that he was so much _better _than Nichika in so many different ways.

"Right." He said sarcastically. "I am jealous of his ability to turn my friends into backstabbers," he sneered.

"Shiro just let me explain. Please? I really need you to understand that there's nothing going on between him and me anymore."

His face tightened. The scowl came back. He shook his head. "And you're telling me this _now_?" he said.

She watched him walk down the hall, away from her. He was her best friend. The person she trusted more than anyone in the world. Ever since her first arrival, they had done everything together. She had fallen for him when he had protected her with his courage and bravery. Where was the boy who refused to swallow the lies? Where had he gone? When they had danced together a month ago, she thought she had never been happier in her life. Each step he took illustrated the huge gap that now separated them. He wasn't the _man _she thought he was. Maybe he never had been

Hinamori walked home thinking about how today and the previous week was complete hell. After she had left his house seven days ago she was too afraid to see him so she tried to call but he never answered. She hated that memory each day she hadn't the courage to face him since it was _still _winter, it brought back all the bad days of when she was in Honshu Town.

More than half way home, she pivoted on her feet and ran the opposite direction to her destination. She couldn't take it anymore; it was time for everything to end.

Hitsugaya was on his computer when he heard his door bell ring; he pushed himself away from his screen and proceeded downstairs.

He almost shut the door the moment he saw her but she threw an arm out stopping him.

"What?" he spat.

"Let-me-in- _now._" She ordered. He was taken back by her aggressiveness he quickly backed up away from the door so she could close it instead. They stared at each other through a moment of silence after she had entered.

Hitsugaya was confused as Hinamori stalked passed him hastily making her way upstairs to his room, he sighed but followed her any way not questioning her motives. He saw her winter coat draped over his computer chair and she was just sitting on his bed in her school uniform his dragon t-shirt overlapping it with her bag on the floor. He was getting suspicious, he was certain that she didn't come to do school work maybe just to _talk._

He was getting impatient. "What do you want?" his tone was menacing it made her wince as she lowered her head to the floor making a curtain of hair fall between them so he couldn't see her face. Hinamori was so close to tears that she didn't know why. Suddenly she was on her feet and then she was in front of Hitsugaya, he was getting nervous. He wanted to ask her if she was okay but his eyes widened as he was pushed back against his door. She grasped the front of his school uniform and leaned her head on his chest, his heart as pounding. She was mumbling something into him.

"Wh-" he began but she placed a finger lightly on his lips.

"I want _you_." She whispered looking up at him with teary eyes as a single tear slid down her cheek. Hitsugaya hung his head for a moment gazing down at her vulnerable form. And then he laughed, Hinamori blinked twice, surprised as he stood over her and reached out and touched her hair; it was slick through his fingers. She started to speak and he put a finger to her mouth and he whispered, "You don't get to speak yet." And he cupped her face in his hands and leaned down then he kissed her. He moved one hand behind her neck underneath her hair that hung over her shoulders as their tongues met, the heat of the kiss momentarily overwhelming them both.

In the kiss he could taste the salt of her tears on his lips and in her mouth sweetness almost like peaches. He forced himself to disentangle his fingers from her hair, wrenching his lips away from her mouth, across her smooth cheek and finding her ear. "It's about time." He whispered.

**Authors Note: Happy Birthday to me! XD Okay... so I _couldn't _wait two weeks to update! Three weeks of torture! And they finally realize that they can't live with out each other. Yay! Any who I thank all those who've review, favorited, and alerted! So until next time, review please! I'll update once I get **_**125+ reviews. If you guys got an email saying that I updated I had to re-update because had to quickly edit somethings in the story sorry for the inconvenience!  
**_


	15. Trouble With Paradise

Chapter 15

He kissed her. He kissed her slowly, unhurried as if he could stay all day and not miss a beat. At the same time he was demanding, deepening the kiss before she knew what was going on. Gentle he was not, but the aggressive edge of his kisses was like the sweet rush of adrenaline running through her veins.

Of course, he probably had previous years of practice due to his natural beauty there was no doubt that he did have dating history but Hinamori had very little to compare him to- boyfriends, mostly who were not part of her daily life.

But her mind was fogged and it was only the two of them in his house, alone. She slithered her body closer to his, feeling the beads of sweat and perspiration on his shirt and the heat between both of them was generating. He wrapped his arms around her.

They started kissing again and Hinamori was thankful that she didn't faint as she felt his hand explore underneath her shirt, reaching for her bra. She smiled, thinking boys were all alike. But he stopped and was now unbuttoning her school uniform beneath his favourite Hyorinmaru dragon T-shirt.

Hinamori did her favourite Phys Ed move; remove everything _but _the bra beneath a t-shirt maneuver. Hitsugaya dropped her uniform to the floor along with her skirt; she was wearing the same thing she last remembered when she had slept over a week ago.

She closed her eyes, feeling his warm hands continuing to unclasp the hook of her bra. She opened her eyes to see him hovering over her. She pulled him closer. He made a cross of his arms and pulled his uniform over his chest. He was so muscular; she could feel his muscles underneath his skin. They were both breathing quickly, and in a moment, he was lying on top of her, pushing his body against hers.

She caressed his neck and bare back feeling the hard bump underneath his jeans pressing against her thigh. She rolled over him, so that she was on top of his chest. He held her close, his hands caressing her back underneath his black shirt then proceeding downwards, slipping off her undergarments leaving her _only _in a dragon t-shirt.

She began kissing his mouth, the line of his jaw, licking her way down. Only to hear the door fully hit contact against the wall. "Hitsugaya-oh god!"

Hinamori did a chock-full gasp as Jushiro, Ukitake; Hitsugaya's uncle stood in the doorway apparently home a day _early _from his job vacation. He recognized the girl or woman instantly, the one from about a month ago who was now straddling his shirtless nephew which had his arms securely around her hips.

Hinamori was staring at the man in about his late thirties, mortified. She felt her lover's hands twitch against her hips. Hinamori took the chance to quickly roll off him grabbing her undergarments in a swift movement then picking her bag and extra clothing off the floor lastly she went for her jacket draped casually around a computer chair.

Leaning her head down and not having eye contact with the man at the door she brushed passed him mumbling her own apology hoping he had heard. Stuffing her things in her bag and hopping back into her skirt and undergarment on the way down the carpeted steps then she was already on her way out the front entry.

The door shut with a loud bang below as Ukitake and Hitsugaya stared at each other with the same expression as their guest who just left the house. Ukitake frowned and crossed his arms while glaring at his nephew. Hitsugaya let out air that he didn't realize he was holding in.

"You've got _alot _of explaining to do Hitsugaya, Toushirou."

Hitsugaya couldn't find his voice yet but he understood already and he also knew that he never felt more humiliated in his life than this very moment.

_The next day _Hinamori and Hitsugaya couldn't stare at each other without going beat red. They couldn't even say a regular hi to one another in the hallway it was so awkward. Worse yet Matsumoto _still _wasn't talking to Hinamori because of what happened over the break and Hinamori _needed_ to talk to someone badly. It was aching in her veins.

Hitsugaya caught Hinamori by the parking lot on their way home, he beeped at her and she jumped at the loud noise as it interrupted her train of thought. Hitsugaya pulled his S60 R Volvo up to her and the passenger window slide down. He leaned over the seat.

"Care for a ride home?"

Hinamori smiled. "Sure."

The ride to her place was _so _silent and nerve racking. He turned off his car when they parked in front of her house; she sat there innocently clueless as he let his seat belt slide back as he unclipped it. He turned and stared at her with tense yet nervous eyes.

"What?" she gasped letting out the air she had held in.

"I talked with my uncle."

Hinamori knew where this was going and she didn't like it one bit but she decided to play dumb. "And?"

"And well he explained when you know…" Hitsugaya didn't want to go over this again.

"Yes?" she was pushing it.

"We…" he cleared his throat. Hinamori just decided to end his misery.

"He told you to end it didn't he?" her gaze lowered to the gear shift.

"No, no of course not but well he kinda explained to me about when a relationship gets to a certain point…" Hitsugaya was blushing, anxious.

"You guys had _the talk_?" Her eyes read confusion and horror.

"Sort of." He admitted.

"What do you mean _sort of_?"

"You know men aren't really comfortable or understandable when it comes to _the talk _but he narrowed the details down for me and well he wants us to tone it down."

Hinamori nodded, she was perfectly fine with this idea _take it slow_ it was a very good thought.

"Anything else I should be _aware _of just in case your uncle wants to bite my head off the next or anytime he sees me with you?"

Hitsugaya frowned. "He's not lethal, he's just being protective."

"Of our personal relationship?" Hinamori was getting the wrong idea.

"Yes."

"Well it's none of his business, sorry but it just isn't"

Hitsugaya sighed. He didn't know how to break the news to her so he went for the romantic attempt. He grabbed her hand.

"Hinamori, I know you're upset with this but just understand he cares about _both _of us."

"I don't need his care."

He ignored her. "Will you promise me something?"

Hinamori cocked an eyebrow, "Depends what it is."

"For me?" he whispered.

"We've never actually been on a date so I was wondering-"

Hinamori cut him off before he could finish, she was beaming.

"Okay, yes!"

Hitsugaya frowned and rubbed her hand with his thumb. "For me."

"For _us_." Hinamori corrected him. Hitsugaya just smiled at her cuteness and then he was leaning into her but she hesitated. Hitsugaya paused, waiting.

"Sorry." She murmured. "It's just…"

"It _shouldn't _be this awkward?"

The petite girl nodded. He smirked again and decided to test her; he pulled her to him only slightly because her seat belt was still intact then he slipped her uniform blouse to the side making it hang off her shoulder. He began tracing his mouth along the delicate skin of her shoulder, collar bone, and neck and jaw line and pulled away as she moaned.

A pout formed on her lips but he just smiled her favourite uneven smirk. She unclipped her seat belt and grabbed her stuff, a sign to leave. Instead she left them on her lap and leaned over to him but he backed away too quickly. Hinamori did her irresistible puppy pout, Hitsugaya shook her head. Hinamori closed her eyes and smiled.

"Kiss me." She whispered waiting. It didn't take long until their mouths became in contact and their tongues entwined in their favourite dance in their favourite kiss, short yet sweet but toxicating. They pulled away with a few extra pecks afterward and then Hinamori was exiting the car.

"Hinamori, I am sorry." Hitsugaya whispered and Hinamori turned back around leaving the door wide open.

"For what?"

"For lying."

"What are you talking about?"

"Our date is tomorrow noon."

"Yeah, so?"

"With my uncle."

Hitsugaya saw her wrinkle her noise as if she smelt something bad.

"For _you _huh?" she spat the words.

"For us." Hitsugaya was pleading her. "Please."

Hinamori's head fell creating a curtain full of hair but Hitsugaya didn't miss the click in her teeth. "Yeah whatever." She slid out of the car and slammed the door behind her. Hitsugaya watched her retreating form disappear into the pink house.

_Wednesday _Hinamori and Hitsugaya skipped second period and met each other at their lockers. Hinamori wore a white summer like dress with jeans and a long black jacket draped over her arms to keep out the winter air. Hitsugaya wore dark blue jeans with a dark blue vest over a gray work shirt.

"Ready?" he asked eliminating signs of nervousness in his voice.

"Yeah, sure let's just get this over with." Hinamori was not in a very good mood. They drove silently to the mini café where Ukitake was supposed to meet them.

Hitsugaya held out a hand to her as she tucked her belongings under the passenger seat, she took hold of him and he pulled her out shutting the door behind her and signalling the locks.

They got adorable stares from the people who silently thought they were the cutest couple alive as they walked hand in hand a block away from their destination. But the closer they got Hinamori could feel the tightness of her heart twisting, her stomach was churning maybe it was because she was hungry but she knew that wasn't the case and her body was suddenly cold.

Hitsugaya squeezed her hand, noticing her nervousness as she was slowly beginning to hyperventilate. Then they were standing in front of the café now. Hitsugaya waited patiently for her to calm down but even though she said she was _content _he could feel her pulse beneath his fingers. He reassured her and then he squeezed her hand one more time before he opened the door with his other for her.

Before she appeared completely in front of the other costumers she took a deep breath and she stepped forward into the crowded room. It took her a few seconds to register their seats but she didn't miss the white hair and then he waved them over. At that moment Hinamori couldn't be gladder to have her best friend and possibly destiny by her side.

**Authors Note: What's gonna happen?! Dun, Dun Dun! Anyways you'll just have to wait and see I'll update once I get 135+ reviews! So please review! :D**


	16. The Line Between Hitsugaya and Nichika

Chapter 16

"Uncle," Hitsugaya said. "This is Hinamori Momo. Hinamori, Ukitake Jushiro my uncle."

Well hell she already knew that much. Suddenly it seemed to Hinamori that there wasn't enough oxygen in the room. She stood naively for a moment, wondering if she was supposed to offer to shake Ukitake's hand. No need, he was already one step ahead of her, he held her petite hand in a firm yet gentle grip meaning that he meant no harm.

_Just be calm. _Hinamori told herself for the tenth time in the last thirty seconds.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Hinamori bowed slightly hiding her nervous smile.

"Pleasure's all mine and no need to be so formal in public."

She pulled a chair out so she could sit down across from him. The chair scraped against the floor, making Hinamori feel clumsy and awkward. Her heart was racing as she avoided contact with Ukitake as she sat down. Hitsugaya seated himself next to her. Hinamori forced herself to look across the table. Ukitake was smiling at her. His features were angelic like.

"No need to be shy Momo, I am just curious to see why my nephew can't keep his distance or thoughts to himself. You know he can get _very _talkative but I still feel like he's keeping something from me even though you're a very mature young lady." He said sweetly with just enough lilt in his voice that Hinamori wasn't sure if he was being genuine or sarcastic.

Hitsugaya glared at his uncle as he just shrugged and smiled. _He wasn't supposed to tell her that. _Hinamori shifted slightly in her seat to a more comfortable position as she crossed her legs and folded her hands together on the table, she was no longer tensed up and distance as she stared at the man across from her. Never breaking eye contact she spoke. "Well I am not so sure myself as to why Hitsugaya chose me out of all people because I am certain that there's more out there in the world he can have instead of me always getting in his way and such. He's very sweet, honest and _extremely _overprotective," both Hinamori and Ukitake laughed as Hitsugaya frowned and crossed his arms. "But I guess that doesn't matter to him, the same goes for me because I'd be very hurt to see someone close to me disappear from my life again."

"Again?" Ukitake raised his eyebrows. Hinamori nodded. "I lost my brother last summer."

"I am sorry to hear that." Ukitake's face fell a little but Hinamori just shook her head. "It's fine."

"But I guess what I am trying to say is that Hitsugaya's been everything that I've been missing in my life for the past 17 years and I wouldn't want to change that for the world."

Hitsugaya placed his hand atop of her folded ones on the table and they smiled genuinely at one another. "I could say the same about you." He whispered. Ukitake rubbed his fingers under his chin trying to summon up another question as he eyed the couple as his nephew looked at her, it reminded him of the way someone might linger over a future lover. The moment seemed too private as he had to look away.

He coughed. "Yes, you two seemed to be in a _very _serious relationship but even you should know that there are boundaries," they all knew what was coming. Hinamori interrupted. "What you saw last evening was unacceptable and we're both at fault we never meant for us to get carried away. It just happened." Ukitake nodded. "Ah, the youth age."

Hitsugaya and Hinamori blushed. "I am sure you're parents have talked to about when that time comes." Hinamori shook her head eyes wide.

"No?" Ukitake was surprised.

"Actually…they don't know."

Ukitake frowned. "You need to talk to them, Momo-"

Hitsugaya cut in, "Uncle she's-"

"When the time is comfortable for you." Ukitake ignored his nephew. Hinamori and Hitsugaya both blinked. "Do you understand?" the chocolate eyed girl nodded and smiled. "Thank you."

"Oh and please both of you really should inform me the next time you'll be together under my roof."

Hinamori blushed. "I am sorry and I promise you it won't happen again."

"I am not saying ever, just for _now._"

The couple nodded in understanding. "Take it slow." Hitsugaya mimicked his uncle the way he remembered the night before rolling his eyes. Ukitake laughed. "Yes."

They all talked regularly for the next hour as they ordered and ate. They were already like a real family. Ukitake glanced at his watch, "Oh! Look at the time I've kept you kids longer than expected; you need to get back to school." Hinamori and Hitsugaya frowned. Before they could protest Ukitake paid the bill and was rushing them out of the café. They all stood there awkwardly not knowing how to depart but Hinamori surprisingly hugged Ukitake and murmured yet another thank you. He wasn't good with hugs but he hugged back anyway and then Hinamori was already skipping down the block. "Bye uncle!" Hitsugaya was about to run after her.

"Hitsugaya, she's a good woman you've chosen well. You don't meet a girl like that every year."

"Meaning?"

"She's a keeper." Ukitake grinned and winked. Hitsugaya shivered and shook hands with his uncle. "Bye Jushiro."

"Since when did you start calling me by my first name?"

"Since my girlfriend began to call you _uncle_."

Hitsugaya left him standing in the middle of the busy sidewalk wondering that maybe it _was_ too soon to let them do what they wanted.

Hinamori and Hitsugaya both arrived fifteen minutes late to their planning class.

"Well how nice of you to join us you two, now please take a seat." Their special guest Soifon was very strict unlike their actual carefree teacher Shunsui who was a major slacker and flirted a lot with his assistant Nanao the more mature one who taught most of the time.

They took their usual seats at the back of the class ignoring the stares from the others some wondering where they had disappeared during lunch. Soifon-sensei did a major lecture about the _future _until handing out everyone each separate slips of their assignment. Hinamori felt more displeased every time she re-read the paper.

The teacher wasn't serious right?

**The assignment**: **Each student will be paired with a fellow-class mate but only half of the class will chose the slips I hand out each written with a name, but you must not reveal who your partner is to others. This assignment will take all four periods next day, all your teachers have been informed so do not panic. This assignment is simple; just follow the instructions listed on your partner's card. **

**Have fun until then see you next class.**

_Friday. _Everyone of Class A was seated in planning class when Hinamori arrived; she took her usual seat saved by Hitsugaya. Everyone was buzzing with different emotions, some complaining but most were excitement and curiosity. Soifon-sensei ordered the class to settle down then the assignment was going to begin nine o'clock sharp. It was only 8:30am.

Everyone sat in pairs and only one person received a slip while the other received a card. Hinamori eyed the white paper folded multiple times into a square on the table while Hitsugaya played with the card in his hands.

Taking a deep breath, she began to unfold the paper. Every fold her unwrapped made the butterflies in her stomach wilder. Her heart stopped and she gaped at the name on the paper. _This can't be happening! Why? Are you trying to kill me? _

Mitsuru, Nichika's name was scrawled in fine print now ruining the white paper. Hinamori turned in horror to Hitsugaya which was no longer in his seat but he was across the room talking to Renji, they exchanged something which was transferred to Ichigo and then he was back in his seat next to her.

"Hinamori, is everything alright?"

Hinamori just choked, he snatched the paper even though he wasn't supposed to see the name, Hinamori didn't protest. Hitsugaya crushed the paper in his hand. He looked up to see Nichika walking over with a smile. Hitsugaya placed a piece of paper in her hands and slipped her paper in his jean pocket.

They both looked up to see an overly happy Nichika.

"I think I know who my partner is."

"Of course you do." Hitsugaya said with a force smile.

"But unfortunately Hinamori's taken."

Nichika's face altered to confusion as did Hinamori's as she slowly opened her paper to reveal _Kurosaki, Ichigo _she looked up from the paper to Hitsugaya to Nichika to Ichigo who was across the room and he gave her a thumb up.

"But I thought-" she struggled with her words.

"I believe you're with me Mitsuru." Hitsugaya said as he plucked out the paper from his back pocket crumbled and ripped. Nichika's face read through Hitsugaya's smile and he clicked his teeth; pissed off.

"Hinamori I believe we've got five minutes to get together and I believe your partner is," he picked up her paper and fluttered it in Nichika's face unnecessarily. "Kurosaki."

He kissed her on the cheek before sending her off stumbling awkwardly to Ichigo. Everyone was already with their respective partners. Soifon-sensei sent everyone out of the room as they were free to roam around the school grounds and come back before the last bell rung.

"Nichika, I thought you were with Hinamori Momo?" she asked as she stopped the two from leaving the class. Nichika just growled and frowned.

"I am sorry Soifon-sensei but I believe you've been mistaken I am his partner for today." Hitsugaya showed her the paper and she excused them.

They kept a distance from one another as they strolled down the hall leaving at least a few inches between them.

"You switched her paper didn't you?" Nichika spat.

"Because I knew you'd ask for her?" Hitsugaya laughed, only to receive a growl.

"Why?"

"I couldn't help it."

"Because you think you own her?" Nichika glared as Hitsugaya's face brightened a little and his smirked widened.

"Hey, I just saved your ass man."

Nichika laughed giving him a hard shove on the shoulder. "I don't need your saving."

"Really because you know these pencils are extremely sharp." He twirled the object between his fingers. "Plus I am only here till she orders me away whether you like it or not, I am stuck with her and about this pencil I wouldn't want her using it to stab you in the throat."

**Author's Note: Okay so I had to kinda rush this update because it's a late one ****and things are starting to heat up between Hitsugaya and Nichika! ****This is only part 1 of the assignment ****so until next time! I'll update once I get **_**150+ reviews**_** so please review! The next chapter is called **_**Now It Gets Personal. **_


	17. Now It Gets Personal

Chapter 17

_Hinamori: "Ever wonder what marks our life and how long it takes to change it? One year? A month, a week maybe, or a single day? We're always in a hurry to grow up, to go places, to get ahead…to the finish line. Sometimes in order to move forward, you have to go back…in this case; it takes just a day to change everything." _

Shunsui, Kyoraku's class A planning class was spread across Karakura Campus beginning the assignment with their companion. It was time for the new pairs to get acquainted with one another. _Hitsugaya Toushirou and Mitsuru Nichika; Hinamori Momo and Kurosaki Ichigo; Matsumoto Rangiku and Abarai Renji; Inoue Orihime and Ishida Uryu; Arisawa Tatsuki and Kuchiki Rukia._ As well as the remaining pairs.

Matsumoto and Renji were naturally walking around the track and field when Renji looked at the question card, "Okay well here goes, reveal something in your past with your partner."

Matsumoto placed a finger under her chin, "Well I grew up in Aomori in Japan with my first lover his name was Ichimaru, Gin; a musician. My mother died when she had given birth to my brother when he was very young while my father worked at a nearby plantation. My brother wrote songs and poetry while I was a singer."

Renji was silent before speaking, "I grew up with Kuchiki Rukia in Rukongai, Japan and her brother scares the hell out of Ichigo and me."

Inoue and Ishida were sitting in the cafeteria playing with their food. "When my brother turned eighteen we ran away when I was only three years old. For six years I lived him happily while I secretly hidden the fact that I was being bullied at school. He died in a severe car accident and ever since then I've been best friends with Arisawa Tatsuki."

"I am actually left handed and I take extra curricular activities out of school in other words I am professional archer."

Tatsuki and Rukia were in the back field playing soccer.

"I grew up with Kurosaki Ichigo I was his childhood friend and karate partner. To be honest he was one of the weakest ones while I was top class."

Rukia whispered. "My sister died when I was just a baby and then I was adopted by her husband who is now a brother figure to me. I am also childhood friends with Abarai Renji."

Hinamori and Ichigo were on the top of the school building watching the town. Hinamori leaned over the railings. "My brother died last summer 2011 his graduation year and I was there drunk when he was killed in a car accident."

Ichigo frowned. "My mother died when I was nine and I still feel guilty for it as I wandered to close to the river bank since then I can still sense her around me."

Hitsugaya and Nichika were still wandering the halls heading towards the west buildings in the direction of the gymnasium. Hitsugaya was getting irritated as he _tried _to bear with his partner. "I used to date Matsumoto but only for like a week until we realized it was too weird and I am immune to cold weather."

Nichika ran his hand along the walls of the building. "Something in my past…hm. I _use _to be popular. Anyways next question, define yourself with one word. Intriguing."

Hitsugaya coughed back a laugh, _more like asshole _he thought to himself.

"Prodigy." The word that most described him by. Nichika rolled his eyes and coughed _loser _while pretending to be choking.

Ichigo tilted his head back and closed his eyes as the sun slowly heated his skin. "Hm, strawberry."

"Strawberry?"

"Yeah."

"That's a fruit not a descriptive word."

"Fine, protector."

"Naïve."

Ichigo shook his head. "You're more like _purity_."

Matsumoto tapped her foot as she stared at Renji.

"Beauty?"

"That's too common for anyone." Renji shook his head.

"Lazy?"

"So am I."

Matsumoto sighed. "Maternal?"

Renji deliberated. "Perfect. As for me I am more like eccentric."

Rukia tapped her chin, "I actually don't know what I am. I've never really thought about it, honestly. Maybe I am just-"

"Mysterious." Tatsuki summarized her with one word. Rukia gave her a sceptical look. "You've never really opened up to anyone well maybe beside Ichigo because he's your boyfriend but for the rest of us you're like a bird still fighting to get freed."

"If _I am _mysterious, then you're very sentient. You see much for than the rest of us."

Under Tatsuki's breath she whispered, "You have no idea."

Inoue and Ishida started to flick piece of victuals at one another.

"Okay, Ishida! Stop it. We have to concentrate."

Her hair had pieces of cafeteria left-overs while Ishida's uniform had major stains of juice.

"Okay…what was the question?"

"Um. Define your self with one word only."

"Try me."

"Nerd." Inoue blurted it out instinctively. Ishida cocked an eyebrow.

"It was the first word that came into mind." She smiled apologetically.

"Bizarre definitely suits you, I mean look at your taste in food." Ishida teased.

"Hey!"

_Admit something that you're worried or afraid of. _

"What happens after graduation? Will we ever see each other again? Will everyone always be the same person we've come to know so well? What does the future hold ahead of us?" Inoue threw all the questions which Ishida couldn't really answer but he understood nevertheless.

"I guess I am afraid that I can't find the response you seek Inoue but I'll try to sum it up in one sentence. You, yourself is contagious. The person you come to be changes the way you who you want your loved ones to be. So my question is will _you _be the one to change the future of your friends?"

"I just don't know…" she whispered, sadly.

"I feel like I've lost my role in Ichigo's life, it's like I don't know him anymore ever since you came he's been hiding something but I just don't know what it is. It's not like I have anything against you Rukia but I feel like you know something that no one else does."

"I am not sure I know exactly what you mean but I haven't felt a connection with someone for so long since I've lost a friend dear to me in the past. Ichigo reminds me of that person in a way but at the same time he means so much more to me. I believe whatever you have are your mind is something that only Ichigo and I can share, its a couple thing and it's personal. But I can tell you this; I understand that you're fearful of him slipping from your life and to be honest I couldn't agree more."

"I can't bear the thought of losing Rukia. It's like she's already stolen my heart and soul so if she's gone what do I have left? Do you know how that'll make me feel?"

Hinamori thought _hard _about Ichigo's confession and she related to it so well.

"I know how you feel because right now at this very moment I am terrified at the thought of what's going on between Hitsugaya and Mitsuru."

Hitsugaya and Nichika circled around the gym and walked along the bleachers mindlessly.

"I guess that's something we both have in common." Hitsugaya said sincerely.

"I won't lose to you Hitsugaya, Toushirou."

"It's only a matter of time before she realizes she can do so much better than me."

"In truth, you seem like a really nice guy."

"That's part of the problem, I hate being the nice guy. Just once I'd like to know what it is to be dangerous yet at the same time how can I not lose something important."

"Good guys finish last." Nichika said this with an undeniable smirk.

Hitsugaya stopped pacing, pivoted and stared into his eyes.

"She _is _mine."

"For now."

Matsumoto and Renji were mainly reading the other's minds.

"I am worried about Momo and Toushirou while I feel that Nichika has something up his sleeve."

"I feel like Rukia and Ichigo are having a shaky doubtful relationship while Tatsuki has to stand by the side lines and watch them, _secretly_."

"Inoue and Ishida are starting _something_."

"Yeah, they'll make the perfect _odd _couple."

They both laughed.

"Anyways what do are _you _truly afraid of?"

"I think I've already lost her, Rangiku. I've lost my childhood friend to my best friend and it sucks."

"Well my ex-boyfriend has fallen for my best friend's girlfriend."

Matsumoto grabbed the card from Renji's hand and read the last task.

_Reveal a 'secret.'_

Hinamori fidgeted with her fingers in her lap. She had always hated this question, it was _too personal. _

"I have a three year-old niece named after my mother, Yui."

Ichigo deliberate whether or not it was a joke but the expression on her face proved serious.

"Wow…" he gasped. "I thought you were the only child?"

Hinamori shook her head. "My sister's twenty-two."

Ichigo smiled. "I see. Congratulations then."

"I can see spirits." He whispered. "Ever since I was a child, I've seen them everywhere but they're harmless beings just like us. Yet they only want to be set free."

Hinamori blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Are they scary?"

"No, they're just never aging immortal souls roaming the world, completely harmless."

"If you could do anything for them what would you do?"

"Have the ability to protect them and send them to the after world."

Rukia and Tatsuki sat on a bench gazing out into the field.

"I have nothing to hide, if I know something's up. I'll confront that person."

Tatsuki eyed Rukia now. "I can't draw." She whispered.

"What?"

"I can't draw."

Tatsuki laughed. "Show me."

Matsumoto picked a Renji's hair as he laid in her lap.

"I think I've secretly fallen for my best friend's girlfriend."

Matsumoto paused on his hairline and withdrew her hand.

"For how long?"

"I have no idea, since forever?"

"Well that's not as bad as my secret."

"Try me."

"Remember I told you about my first lover, Gin? Well I gave him everything when I was just fifteen."

Renji recoil a little on her lap closed his eyes and murmured. "Too much info."

Inoue picked out the food in her hair while Ishida washed his shirt.

"I have a confession to make," Inoue whispered. "I think I am in love with Ichigo."

Ishida paused on his shirt and turned off the tap.

"I think I've always knew."

Inoue glanced at him but never met his eyes.

"What should I do?"

Ishida walked up to her and brought her into a hug, she stood motionless for a few moments before crying and returning the hug.

"But Inoue I think you should know better."

He kissed her forehead and then she saw him walking to the end of the cafeteria away from her.

For Hitsugaya and Nichika this was the question they dreaded the most, enough for them that they'd probably kill each other just to not reveal a single word. They stood a distance apart glaring at one another.

"Can you keep a secret?" Hitsugaya whispered.

"Of course."

"Good so can I."

Nichika watched him exit the side doors leaving an echo throughout the gym but he wasn't going to let him go just yet.

"Hey we're not finished!" he called to Hitsugaya halfway down the hall.

"As far as I am concerned we have _nothing _to discuss! Or I'll make you a deal we'll _never _speak to each other ever again of this day!"

Nichika paused, this wasn't what he wanted. "Fine, deal!"

He saw Hitsugaya disappear behind the wall followed by the slamming of another door.

_I spent the day with…_

_Hinamori Momo, she's doesn't think highly of herself but deep down she's an awesome girl with an innocent personality. She'll make a magnificent auntie someday._

_Kurosaki Ichigo, people always thought they knew everything about him but they don't. Today I found out that he sees the world in a much more complex way then the rest of us. _

_Inoue Orihime, she comes off as naive and rather clueless, which is at odds with her exceptionally high marks in school. But she's one of the few people I found out to have one of the most complicated struggles in life and that is love. One day I hope she'll realize there's someone else waiting for her._

_Ishida Uryu is known to be geeky but today I found out that he's more than that, he has an undeniable passion of understanding and care. He's a great friend, and I know he'll always be one I'll turn to when I am in times of need. _

_Matsumoto, Rangiku is a maternal figure of her best friends. Someday she'll be a future parent everyone will be asking for. She's a splendid companion._

_Abarai Renji has been conflicted by his feelings towards Kuchiki Rukia but he'll never turn his back on Kursosaki Ichigo and that is what true friendship is. I look forward to getting to know him better because he's not all that different from me._

_Kuchiki Rukia has continuous guilt over her past but she has a remarkable partner to lean on. Ichigo's lucky to have her but I realized that she still needs help with some of her 'talents.' _

_Arisawa Tatsuki is a strong willed woman; every female will be blessed to have a strong heart like hers. She's never in self doubt and that's something most people will never have, a heart of gold._

_ Mitsuru Nichika is a self-absorbed ass. End of story._

_Hitsugaya Toushirou has everything a woman could ask for. Honestly Hinamori Momo couldn't be luckier but it's far from over. It's only a matter of time before she's mine._

"**The clock is ticking…until time runs out."**

**Authors Note: I am so so deeply truly 100 percent sorry for this week late update but I've just finished a project and I've got assigned another one so I'll be updating a little bit less. I'll try to update when I get 170+ reviews. Thank you so much for being so patient! Thank you to my following reviewers: **_Devatron2000, Kazeek, iceypeach, Snowy Peach Tsubasa, sethner drezil, momo hitsugaya, sma4ever, BitterTimesOfToday, shirochanxmomo1220, momo21, ccccookie, nymphadora1196, Merciless Ruby _**and**_ MysteriousEyez. _**The next few chapters will be titled: 'Sakuras of Youth', 'My Dangerous Playmate', and Obsessions.' **


	18. Sakuras Of Youth

Chapter 18

_Spring- 2012- Karakura High School_

There was a cluster of students gathered by the entrance of the assembly hall, all muttering impatiently as to what was going on. Today was the _Sakura Festival of Youth. _Every student body was to be present and help make preparations for the event that carried on for many generations.

"Settle down ladies and gentlemen!" the staff clapped and hushed the student body as they took their respective seats.

"I am sure you're all well aware of tonight's event that will be taking place on campus. We'll all be expected to help with the preparations as each student will be assigned their own jobs today for the set up so all classes are cancelled. The rules are simple, you're presence is mandatory throughout the whole day from morning till midnight, just follow your instructors for the evening. The festival will begin at six sharp. Be there or be square." Principle Yamamoto ended the assembly with the simple speech.

Students went back to their first blocks to receive their tasks during the evening. A list was posted outside each classroom separating the students under diverse errands.

_Decorations, Picture/Art/Poems, Greeters, Information Booth, Face Paint, Lantern Lights, Food/Drinks..._

The list went along the wall for some time; more than 1700 student's names were categorized alphabetically with the same tasks repeated under each letter.

Students immediately disappeared once they read their assigned jobs to meet up with their respective instructors.

Hinamori lost Hitsugaya and her friends as they all departed in different directions. She wasn't sure whether or not to be excited about her part in the event, she read it at least three times before it sunk into her skin. _Performance- Dancer. _She set off to her meeting destination under Unohana Retsu; the school nurse.

Once she arrived at the drama studio, she didn't recognize any of her other older or younger fellow companions, only the teachers. Yoruichi-sensei, Soifon-sensei, and Unohana-sensei were the only present teachers she found familiar. Everyone immediately changed into a plain and simple white knee length kosode.

With no farther a due, all eight performers began the practice of _The Gleaming Light of the Morning Sun. _

When Hinamori returned home at noon she found her sister waiting at the entrance of their bathroom. With the help of her sister, Hinamori was feeling so clean that she felt her old layer of skin already flaking off and then she was in her mother's room in a good amount of time. Laid out on her mother's bed was a brilliant pink silk western style ankle length kimono with purplish-blue, red faded with white and yellow flowers all along the hem, across the sleeves and chest.

Before leaving Hinamori and their mother alone, Tomoe gave her sister a stern warning as to not distract or do anything in a disrespectful manner as to not anger their mother. She left with no words.

In the room, Hinamori was instructed to sit in front of a full length mirror. Her mother was kneeling on a pillow wearing a cotton robe that clung to her shoulders and gathered in her hands were half a dozen makeup brushes in various shapes. Some of them were fat in length with large hairs while others looked like chopsticks with a dot of soft hair at the end. After organizing them in a neat fashion Yui turned and showed them to her daughter.

"These are my brushes," she said. "And do you remember this?" she took a glass container of chalk white makeup from her drawers in her mini makeup stand. "This you must never touch."

"I've never touched them."

"Of course not." Yui closed the lid and put it aside to pick up three pigment sticks.

"These are for shading, you may look at them."

Hinamori examined the hard yet smooth baby finger sized stick petting the soft hairs which were flecking away from the pressure of use.

"This is a piece of dry paulownia wood," she said taking the pigment sticks out of Hinamori's hands. "For drawing eyebrows. And this is wax." She lifted up two bars of was from their paper wrappings and gently placed them back down.

Yui opened a jar of pale yellow cream and turned Hinamori to apply it on like face cream. Then she tore a small piece of wax from the bars and after softening it in her finger tips, rubbed it into the skin of Hinamori's face and neck then down the collar bone. Yui took some time to wipe her hands clean on a cloth then moistened a flat brush in a glass container of white cosmetic until it became a chalky paste.

Hinamori looked as she'd fallen fast first into a bag full of flour missing only the areas around her eyes, lips and nose. With another fat pigment stick Yui applied a reddish blush onto Hinamori's cheeks; afterwards she was left with no eyebrows or lips. Later her mother painted the back of her neck with the same chalky paste.

While Yui rinsed the brushes Hinamori drew her attention away from her ghostly reflection and found her mother's kimono for the evening hanging on a stand near the mirror. The kimono was embedded with watermarked flowers of a roan red with white and vines in the shades of blue each designed was outlined with a thin strip of gold atop a deep red background.

When Hinamori and Yui both came out of the room, they were fully dressed in their kimonos which revealed only the under robes atop many other multiple layers of other expensive fabric, all coordinated with the main outer layer. Kai and Fujitaka helped their partners double the kimono fabric at the waist, tying it with a golden cord, tugging it here and then lastly straightening out the ripples in the fabrics.

The men's job was to tie the obi which wasn't as simple as it sounded, it wasn't just a simple ribbon tied into a bow, and it was a one colour ribbon decorated with a plain design, twice as long as a standing man located around the waist below the breastbone extending all the way below the navel. A half dozen cords and clasps were needed to keep it in place. After both Kai and Fujitaka finished they continued to fasten the strings and tuck away fabric.

Hinamori was left there dazzled by her two beautiful family members completely transformed. Now all that remained was for Tomoe to add the finishing touches to Hinamori's makeup and ornaments in her hair. Tomoe and her mother knelt on each side of Hinamori in front of the full length mirror which was now covered with a long white sheet. Yui took out a tiny makeup box containing a red paste and used a small brush to paint Hinamori's lips. Now Tomoe took the twig of paulownia wood that their mother had showed Hinamori earlier and lit it with a match then she blew it out, cooling it with her fingertips, and slowly began to draw her sister's eyebrows. Yui passed Tomoe the hair ornaments from the closet and she slipped them into Hinamori's hair, applied dabs of perfume to the bare flesh on the back of her neck and placed a wooden vial and a folding fan into her sister's hands. Hinamori didn't have time to get her obi tied into place so she'd have to find someone to help her during preparation period at the festival as instructed by her mother. Hinamori turned towards the door where her father, brother-in-law and niece looked down at her, and even they had to gasp at the sight of how extraordinary Hinamori looked.

On the way to school, Hinamori had discovered that not only was she to perform in front of thousands of people including her school but her mother and sister would be along side of her making it to an even ten performers.

Along the ride, Hinamori's gaze fell onto her relative individually. Her niece wore a plain white kimono covered with gray threaded swans across the hem, chest and sleeves tied in place with a light pink obi. Her brother-in-law wore a black kimono decorated with a large black and gray winged eagle located on the back with watermarked trees of blue along the hem tied with a dark blue ribbon across his waist. Her father was almost identical to her brother but with multiple fans of different dark colours spread out everywhere and waves outlined the hem. Her sister wore a magenta silk kimono with golden silk birds and flowers all around with a mini pattern of golden leaves around the hem tied in place with a red obi.

"Why are you performing with me?" Hinamori spoke up through the silent ride.

"It's tradition." Hinamori, Fujitaka replied.

"Tradition?"

"The Hinamori family goes way back as to when I met your mother was a performer. This family is the legacy of performance it's in our blood."

"It's mainly in the female's blood to entertain actually." Hinamori, Yui said. "This gift has been passed down generations through the females of the Hinamori family through my great grandmothers and so forth."

"So our presence being there is mandatory?" Hinamori asked, her fingers were fiddling with her obi in her lap.

"It's requested."

"Why?"

Tomoe sighed. "Don't you know, Momo?"

Hinamori's expression was blank.

"Mother's side of the family lives the history of Geisha."

They arrived at the school. Hinamori's expression was shocked.

"Your father, Momo has been my danna since the war ended in the late 1800's."

Hinamori's gaze slide to her parents whose arms were linked and her mother's head was rested on his shoulder; both were smiling lovingly at their only daughter left in the car.

Tomoe and Kai entered the festival with Yui holding each of their hands, Hinamori exited and shuffled after them carrying her obi, fan, vial, and her Geta shoes along with her Tabi socks.

Everything and everyone was transformed, the school was covered with handmade lanterns as lights, balloons, banners, and other flashing signs decorated the campus. The scent of food was in the air. Loud instrumental music played in the background. Students with their families came through the entrance all wearing expensive kimonos.

Hinamori ran in her school shoes backstage where the other performers were getting dressed, most threw passing glances as the Hinamori daughters trotted by the mirrors unrecognizably beautiful.

Hinamori went into her personal changing room and set her things down clumsily while the others departed to their own. Hinamori sat there alone as she stared at the stranger staring back at her. She was stunning. She snapped out of thought and kicked off her school shoes and threw on her Tabi socks and slipping them into her Getas. The only thing left was her obi. She frowned she couldn't get it on herself; she jumped when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to find Hitsugaya frozen cold at the door, mouth hanging open as he didn't recognize her. He stared at the room number, the name tag on the door and back at the stranger in front of him.

"Hinamori?" he asked choking.

She smiled sheepishly, blushing.

"You like it?" she asked, anxious as she clutched the fabric to her chest.

"I-I love it…I mean wow. You look beautiful."

"Would you like to come in?" Hinamori stepped back as he stepped forward and closed the door. Hinamori picked up her obi and golden cord; she was back to her frustrated self. Hitsugaya wrapped an arm around her waist, and reached for her obi.

"May I?" he murmured into her neck.

"Please."

Hinamori stood holding her arms out and gazed into her image in the mirror. Suddenly Hinamori felt Hitsugaya smoothing out her kimono and tucking away the extra fabric into her now perfectly tied obi. She tucked her wooden vial and folding fan into her ribbon.

"Since when were you a professional dresser?"

"Since this evening when I was asked to help Matsumoto with hers."

Hinamori wriggled out of his grasp and walked over to her full length mirror. She knew she looked gorgeous but she hadn't noticed she looked so fake and unlike herself.

"I look like a Japanese play doll." She frowned.

Hitsugaya rewrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her neck.

"I think you're beautiful."

He began to run one hand up her thigh.

"Sexy."

His hand was at her hip and now it was slowly entwining their fingers together on her obi. Hinamori closed her eyes, savouring the contact.

"Perfect." He raised her left hand and kissed the teardrop and then he began tracing her veins with feather like fingers.

He moved his head to the left side of her neck, and lightly kissed her neck without removing or smudging the makeup. Hinamori opened her eyes as she felt him cup her face and then their noses were touching as they stared into each other.

"Watch the lipstick." She whispered, he smirked then he pecked her lips for less than three seconds.

Hinamori pouted at the kiss, Hitsugaya just shrugged, quoting. "Lipstick."

She noticed his dark blue sleeve that was around her waist and then she turned herself over in his embrace and her gaze fell over his body.

He was wearing a dark blue kimono with icy blue twin dragons each mane was woven in threads with a beautiful emerald green tint and eyes glowing red. Both twisting through each other around the kimono starting from each of his shoulder blades and they were almost connected by silver teeth and claws at the front hem. Each was surrounded by little shards of crystals that looked like ice.

Hinamori looked at the clock on the wall and gasped. There was still fifteen minutes before eight. Her performance was in an hour.

"They're waiting for you." He whispered. Hinamori placed both her hands on each side of his face.

"Bonfire, ten sharp." She quickly kissed him and withdrew thankful that her lipstick had dried.

When Hinamori had arrived at her Yui's changing room, she began to pluck out her hair ornaments and then Hinamori's hair was being washed all over again but unlike her sister. Her mother was rougher and apparently dandruff was a major issue for a _Geisha. _Hinamori was almost in tears from the pain after her hair was washed to the point where her scalp felt so raw. Yui sat Hinamori on a pillow as she tore a comb through her hair until the muscles of her neck were sore from pulling against her. When the knots were gone, her mother combed a very rare and rich oil into her hair giving it a lovely shine.

When her hair was evenly waxed dry, Yui swept up the forelock back and brought the rest up into a large knot like a pincushion on top of her daughter's head, she split it in two even halves lastly she reapplied her ornaments. Hinamori knew that the person standing in the full length mirror was her, but so was the unfamiliar girl gazing back. She actually reached out to touch her only to meet with cold glass. She wore the magnificent makeup of a geisha. Her lips were flowing red on a stark white face with her cheeks tinted a soft pink. Her hair was ornamented with silk flowers and sprigs of glittering leaves. She gazed over her kimono for the fiftieth time and the transformation was complete.

Hinamori and her fellow performers gathered on stage each in position, five up front and in the back with the three daughters of the Hinamori clan in the centre front. Everyone was hypnotized by either the beauty or performance upon the stage. Each performer paid no attention to the audience as they were clearly watching their own arms with amazement at the sureness and evenness with which they moved together insync. Each practiced many number of times even before the festival now they were left without any difficulty or nervousness.

The crowd was in awe at what was unfolding before them, seven beautiful women danced, twirled and jumped with grace while three even more elegant pale faced women opened and unclosed their fans together while swiftly catching them through the air. Kai and Fujitaka recognized them as their loving family.

_Karakura Field-Bonfire-10 o'clock_

Hitsugaya waited on the east side of the fire while he watched couples doing the _Bon Odori Dance_. Once in a while the couples could be seen twirling and twisting through each other's arms while still be insync with the counter clockwise circle of the others.

Hitsugaya adjusted his eyes through the flickering flames as he saw a figure across from him staring intently into his turquoise orbs. He recognized the pale skin, chocolate brown eyes, and flower ornaments in her hair. She looked exactly the same she did when she performed upon stage but better. She disappeared when he blinked and then he saw a strange orangey glow emit from the exact same girl as she was now standing in front of him. She was an angel on fire.

Without question he extended his hand, Hinamori placed her soft hand in his smooth one with a bow he kissed her skin and she smiled at the formal gesture. They proceeded to the circle but stopped when Kai and Tomoe along with Yui and Hinamori, Fujitaka and his wife appeared before them.

Her parents stared at their daughter with a man with strange white hair and gorgeous turquoise eyes. Before anyone could speak, Hitsugaya just bowed. Hinamori and her family just stared in surprise. Hinamori followed her partner's gesture and her parents resisted a smile then soon the whole family bowed to one another without a word of greeting.

Meanwhile the individuals around them stared at the three couples with a child by the bonfire the Bon Odori Dance had stopped once the Hinamori clan had appeared to the side. Only silence remained.

Each person took their partners hands and stood behind one another with the guardians up front and the teenagers behind them. They waited for the music and then everyone was following the steps of the legendary clan of performance. Some couldn't keep up as the three main couples up front were the only ones together as they stepped out then together, flipped the woman in and then back out. The female's extended their arms across their chest and elegantly fluttered one hand towards the sky while the other was aiming at the ground, then they clapped. The men stomped both feet and wrapped their arms around the waist of their partners twirling them to the interior of the circle and then bending them backwards towards the ground. Bringing them back up each couple sashayed forward and back then clapped.

The festival would be over soon as it was almost midnight. Hinamori and Hitsugaya fled from the crowd onto the rooftops of the school gazing over the view of the town lights, brightly radiating colors of green, red, yellow and orange from the flames below. Wrapped in his arms, Hinamori closed her eyes feeling his breath cooling her skin. She turned to wrap her arms around his neck as they leaned together, foreheads touching, breath mingling and body heat radiating.

Suddenly fireworks lit the sky and they both jerked their heads it was right in front of them, sparks were being lit from the bon fire. Hitsugaya cupped her face to look at her.

"You know, I'd have to say that today was definitely one of our most memorable days."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

He tightened his hold on her waist, pressing her against him.

"Good enough for a first date?"

He smiled and nodded brushing her hair away from her face then he was cupping her face again.

"So what happens now?"

Hitsugaya tilted her face up, the fireworks lit her features.

"You tell me."

He was leaning in.

"Mmm...Hm."

Their breath was fanning against each other's faces. Hinamori closed her eyes.

"Lipstick." She murmured just as he was about to close his eyes, he smiled at her ghostly sleeping face.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" he asked.

Hinamori laughed, she shifted her head slightly and their noses grazed.

"Hitsugaya?"

"Just shut up."

He kissed her lightly with pecks, and then she parted her lips and he smiled against her. He divided her lips more and his tongue slid across her teeth after they both felt the electricity run through them when their tongues entwined, both up for dominance. They were running out of breath but they kept on kissing, pressing against each other until Hinamori lightly pushed him off.

She kept him close with her fingers still tangled at the back of his head as the railing was pushed into the small of her back. Fireworks were still blooming.

He bent towards her and his face was planted in the conjunctions of her throat.

"Hitsugaya, the make-up…" she was still panting.

"It won't be long."

She felt him nuzzling her neck, and then his lips were wet and quick against her skin. She moaned and closed her eyes against the strange sensation from the contact, it wasn't normal. The wind fluttered her hair ornaments and separate strands floated in the air while mystical cherry blossom petals danced around them.

Hitsugaya nipped the sensitive skin sending shivers down her body before licking his love mark. She tasted like buttermilk.

**Authors Note: Longest chapter yet, woo. Anyways I hope you enjoyed it I wanted to add some sort of romantic yet old fashion twist to this chapter that still mixes with the typical Japanese high school festivals but in a creative way. Half of it was meant to be Hitsuhina centred. The next chapter is titled 'My Dangerous Playmate.' I'll update once I get 186+ reviews. Hope to see you next time! **


	19. It Gets Worse At Night

Chapter 19

When Matsumoto Rangiku heard the knock at the door, her first thought was that it might be Hinamori Momo. She had called her when she and Hitsugaya couldn't find their friend- Hinamori was the only person who would only turn off her cell when she got home. Matsumoto had left a forlorn message on her friend's answering machine which only occasionally recorded and more often played back in messages in a weird slow static that had sent Hinamori writhing in hysterics every time she received a message. So when Matsumoto heard a nock, she had a tint of hope that maybe her little friend had heard the message and had dropped everything to rush over to see if she was okay. Matsumoto knew this was an absurd scenario since she only decided to blow the whole Sakura Festival.

No, she had decided it wasn't Hinamori but rather Hitsugaya. She smiled at this idea because she knew somewhere deep down he was there to lecture her about her behaviour ever since her break up with Nichika. Yes. It was most definitely Hitsugaya, here to receive a heart ripping explanation.

He knocked again.

She got up and headed to the door in her socks, pausing to check her reflection; she was a mess so she drew her hair back and tied it up. She caught sight of a few blemishes forming on her forehead and Matsumoto didn't like the look of it one bit. Was it possible that she had been breaking out in the past week? She set her sake glass down on the table in front of the mirror and held her thumb flat against her forehead and no doubt there was a little bump forming. She tried to put on her most friendly yet dazzling smile as she opened the door. But it wasn't her best friend.

It was Mitsuru Nichika.

It had been almost a month when she had last spoken to him ever since she dumped him. His dark black spiked hair that stuck out like Ichigo's had thinned and inched back from the temples, and he was slightly thinner. He looked taller somehow. His back bonier, the folds in his face more pronounced. He was wearing glasses with wire-rimes with oval lenses. It surprised her that he had changed as he was not the dashing man which she had once dated. Had he ever been?

"Nichika," Matsumoto said, taken back. "What are you doing here?"

"It's good to see you," he said. "You look great." He smiled warmly and opened his arms for a hug but she never stepped forward. He smelled like the assembly hall, like paint with a hint of sawdust. "Nichika," she said sternly. "Seriously."

"What?" he said moving forward, "Can't I just take out an old friend for dinner?" The door to the hall was ajar but she didn't want to close it; it seemed too much of a welcoming invitation. "We're okay right?"

He smiled and his face softened and dimpled and she saw the man she once had a major attraction for because some small part of her still liked him. But something deep inside her knew that it was all a bullshit play.

Her spine stiffened and she took a tiny step back as he came for her. "I don't want to do this anymore," she said. Her voice suddenly hollow and strange, not her at all. He stopped and dropped his arms to his side. "What's wrong?"

"This is weird, Nichika." she said, nervously. "Stop playing around."

He cocked his head innocently and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean _playing_?"

Yeah. Something was off. "Jesus, Nichika." Matsumoto said.

"I've never stopped thinking about you." Nichika whispered as his gaze fell over her body.

"Look," she said, glancing at her watch. "I don't have time for this, I've got due dates to get rid of."

"Let me take you out to dinner first."

She turned away from him to face the mirror on her right. "Nichika." she pleaded to her own reflection.

He gave her the handsome smile again. "Just for one hour that's all I am asking, nothing more that's all. Then I'll drop you off and you can get your homework done."

Matsumoto felt like a child being pleaded by her father. She didn't have enough time to argue, _just eat dinner then get back to homework. _

"One hour."

"One hour."

The elevator took forever to get down to the ground level. Nichika didn't speak and for the first time in Matsumoto's life, she didn't try to break the silence. Nichika stood there with a soft smile on his face watching her as she fiddled with the hem of her coat and shifted her weight on her feet and studied the illuminated numbers of the elevator. She caught their reflections in the wall's steel cover, a distorted mesh of colors.

The door opened and Nichika waited for her to exit.

"My car's this way." He said, and he pointed off to a car on the far side of the parking lot. _Could he have parked any farther? _Matsumoto thought to herself.

Finally at the car, Nichika got into the driver's seat, leaning over and unlocking Matsumoto's door. She climbed in and pulled her seat belt into place. Her hair was still a mess and she thought it would be inappropriate to show up at a fancy restaurant looking like a dog's toy so she flipped open the mirror above the passenger side. She decided to look for a comb. She opened the glove compartment. Inside was a flashlight and a several souvenirs from many different places each neatly folded alphabetically and a single folded map.

_Clean much? _There was nothing in here, everything was completely empty, and the ashtray was so clean it shone; you could eat out of it. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably and her feet slide underneath her seat. She heard something roll from under her then something made a light 'tap' as it hit the metal against the bottom of the door. She leaned over in her seat and she saw a long black shiny tube of lipstick.

She snapped forward and peered under her seat, there were piles of cosmetics of all sorts even a nail filer. Panicked, she swung up as the seat belt threw her back against the seat as she reached for the door. But Nichika caught her by the shoulders. She clawed at the door, but he hit an automatic lock button from the driver's seat bolting them into place with a mechanical thud.

She fought as he now had a forearm around her neck and something over her mouth and nose. She couldn't get free of him. She managed to reach for the nail filer under her seat and she stabbed his forearm digging it deeper as he howled, grunted, and wrenched at her hand till she dropped it.

_Wham. _Stars were taking her vision as he slammed his hand on the back of her head. Oh how she wanted to kill him with that filer. _Well this is just fucking perfect. _That was her last thought until darkness took over.

Hitsugaya and Hinamori ended up kissing in front of the Matsumoto's building when they arrived minutes after mid-night. Hands still clasped together, Hinamori dragged him to the entryway of the apartment building and pulled.

She shook her head, it was locked.

"Closed for the _big day_." Hitsugaya said stating what should have been obvious even before they bothered to walk over here. No one had answered their buzz.

"Huh," said Hinamori, reaching for the buzzers again. The motion gave Hitsugaya a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Through the speaker: "How may I help you?"

In Hinamori's sweet voice: "Party?"

Hitsugaya muttered under his breath, "No more parties."

The buzzer sounded.

Matsumoto's roomwas third floors from the rooftop, and the stairs wound upward around the clear glass elevators, locked up for the weekend at the bottom of its ten story cage. Hinamori soon took a half-floor lead even in Geisha shoes and took the stairs like someone who lived on a walkway.

When they arrived on tenth floor, they had already found that the stairway to the top floor was locked off for a party on the rooftop two levels above Matsumoto's floor.

Hinamori pouted and crossed her arms. "No surprise there, they _forgot _to unlock the bolts to let _us _in."

"Hinamori we _weren't _even invited. But check this out."

Hitsugaya led her back down the hall; around a corner outside to where a set of windows overlooked the building they just exited. Matsumoto would always complain about how people made suck a commotion jumping across the gap from other apartments on hot, open-window days to sneak in.

Hitsugaya pointed to one of the windows. Across the air shaft was another window perpendicular to another one leading to the rooftop of Matsumoto's building.

"It's not a far jump but a long way down," he said, and unlocked a window.

"Hitsugaya…"

The window slid up, and he hooked a leg out over the hundred-foot drop.

"Hitsugaya!"

He reached for her through the window. "Hold my hand."

"You're joking!"

"Would you rather I do this alone?"

She realized this wasn't an idle threat as he was already leaning across to open another window on the opposite building whether she helped or not.

"It's only a couple of feet across. If it wasn't for the drop, you wouldn't be thinking twice."

"If it wasn't for the death drop, I wouldn't think about it twice."

Hitsugaya reached out again, waving her over.

Hinamori sighed and grabbed both of his wrists.

"Ow. You're squeezing."

"Live with it."

Hitsugaya leaned his weight away from Hinamori out over the shaft. His wrist twisted in her hands as he tugged the window upward till it stuck.

"Hold up." He shifted his weight on the ledge and leaned farther out while Hinamori leaned back as if Hitsugaya was on the end of a tug-of-war rope. The window opened another feet.

"Let go now."

"Why?"

"So I can get over, sweetie."

Hinamori hesitated about to refuse but cutting off the circulation of her boyfriend's hands wasn't much of an answer to the death issue at the very moment.

"Okay…letting go." She squeaked, slowly releasing and then Hitsugaya was shaking out his wrists.

"Ouch but thank you."

Hinamori leaned out not looking down at the vertiginous drop and then she looked across as Hitsugaya wasn't in sight.

"Hitsugaya?"

He came into view and then Hinamori was swinging both her legs over a railing.

"Hinamori what are you doing?"

"I am coming over, silly."

She threw him her geisha shoes, and then she was slowly balancing her way along the tube that crossed over between the thin space. She slipped but caught herself on the Hitsugaya's window and he began pulling her up till he lost one of her shoes. He paused as they looked down and heard the object hit the balcony of the room below.

She swung herself over. "Wow that was cool!"

Hinamori wiped herself off now that she was safely across the air shaft, they ran to the door shoving it open then sticking their heads out. Clear.

They were speed walking down the hallways.

"9029, 9029, 9029" Hitsugaya repeated the room number when they reached the correct landing.

They found her stay and then an uncomfortable silence stretched out for a while until Hinamori found herself annoyed and knocked. Nothing. Again. Silence.

"Maybe she's not home."

Hitsugaya checked the time of his phone. Matsumoto _had _to be home since she didn't attend the festival there couldn't had been anything better for her to do than stay home.

Hinamori looked down the hallway towards the elevator and Hitsugaya got the unpleasant idea that she was thinking about leaving.

"I'll call her." Hitsugaya scrolled up to her name and pressed send. Six rings later and her answering machine picked up.

"Hang up and call her again."

"What?"

"Wait." She watched a couple down the hall head up to the party two floors up.

"Hang up and call again, her cell."

"Okay." He shrugged and pressed send.

Hinamori cocked her head, took a few steps towards the door and placed a palm flat on the tan door and leaned close to it.

Again six rings before her voicemail.

Hinamori turned around with a strange expression of confusion.

"Let me guess," she said. "Despite all her hobbies and favourites, Rangiku has an interest in CLAMP."

"Uh, yeah," Hitsugaya said maybe his girlfriend was psychic.

"Thought so," she said. "Come here and redial."

Hitsugaya leaned next to her, faces almost touching with their breathe fanning across each other then he pressed send again.

Through the shaky plywood wall due from the upstairs celebration they still didn't miss the faint cell-phone tones playing a certain unforgettable corny chorus.

_"Let me be with you…" _

**Authors Note: I just felt like updating early! XD For people who don't know what CLAMP is, they're manga artists that created Cardcaptor Sakura, Angelic Layer, Magic Knight Rayearth, and many more. Their art is very pretty. ;) Matsumoto's ringtone is from the opening of one of CLAMP's manga work Chobits called Let me be with you. (A very catchy song). ****Any who please review! I'll update when I get 192+ reviews. See you guys soon! ;) **


	20. Obsessions

Chapter 20

_"Let me be with you…" _repeated out from behind the tan door that they were leaning against.

"Okay…" Hinamori said. "Her phone's in there."

Neither of them asked the obvious questions: So where was Matsumoto? Inside but unconscious or worse?

The phone stopped playing.

Hinamori put a shaking pale and cold hand on the golden knob and twisted.

It opened with silent ease.

Hinamori swallowed and kicked the door wide open and stuck her foot in waving at Hitsugaya impatiently to follow.

"Go on." He whispered.

They went into the darkness.

With the room fully lit in a fluorescent yellow light they gazed around the room, everything was in the exact same position as it was left. Table tops covered in schoolwork, laptop put to sleep on the light purple carpeting, and a sake bottle by the mirror.

Hinamori picked up the sake bottle and sniffed the container while running a finger along the edge. It smelt new and there were traces of lipstick on her finger and the drink. She placed it back down.

"We _just _missed her." She whispered.

Hitsugaya was flipping through the stacks of paper scattered along the tabletops.

"She usually leaves all this paperwork unfinished till the _last minute_."

Hitsugaya awoke the laptop. Ever program she opened was still up.

"Where could she be at this hour?"

Hitsugaya shrugged as he was now stepping out onto the balcony. Hinamori still stood at the doorway unlevelled with only one shoe. She turned her head to a notification by her reflection.

_If you're in need of any assistant please just contact the receptionist at this number 51508 or just please visit the front desk in the main lobby. Thank you._

Hinamori's eyes flickered to Hitsugaya.

"I think I am gonna step out for a few."

Hitsugaya popped his head threw the swaying drapes.

"I don't think so."

"Why?"

"Because I think this is yours."

He held up her left Geta shoe and tossed it over stepping back inside.

"Thanks, I'll be back in a jiffy."

_Main Lobby_

"Excuse me." Hinamori said to the lady at the front desk. She turned herself on her chair and paused as she stared at Hinamori's appearance lifting an eyebrow. Her grey eyes framed with thick rectangular glasses questioned the girl.

"Are you looking for something?"

"Yes actually, I was supposed to meet a friend. Matsumoto Rangiku about fifteen minutes ago she resides in room 9029, I believe."

The receptionist scratched her head, "Ah yes Ms.Matsumoto."

Hinamori nodded.

"I believe you've just missed her."

Hinamori frowned.

"Where to?"

"I-I am not certain."

"Time?"

"Hold please."

She arose from her seat and called to someone in the back. A man in a police uniform appeared.

"May I help you miss?"

"Yes, I am looking for the resident of room 9029."

"Ms. Matsumoto had seemed to have left only a few hours ago."

_Few Hours. _Hinamori mentally groaned.

"Follow me if you will."

The officer led Hinamori to the back surveillance room.

Without question, he played the video. Instantly a burr of images was being fast forwarded, people were coming and disappearing like ants experiencing an earthquake.

"Oh!" she gasped. "Please go back and play."

She squinted at the foggy black and white screen at a couple who were walking down the steps and were heading for the elevators. "Pause."

She leaned towards the screen, she recognize the woman finger with her long luscious wavy hair, but the man beside her was facing away from the camera, nevertheless she knew that uniform anywhere.

Hinamori backed away from the screen and straightened herself out.

"Thank you."

"She left at about five before twelve."

Hinamori nodded as the policeman looked over her strange appearance.

"Party's on the rooftop."

"I know." she mumbled, frowning.

She proceeded up the set of stairs she called Matsumoto's room.

Once Hinamori had entered, her boyfriend's expression was dark. He didn't doubt that what Hinamori had told him was true. Nichika was insane no doubt about that fact, but what Hinamori had told him was far over due. Back in the ninth grade Nichika was found in the men's washroom having cut his wrists over a woman. There was no telling what he could have done to anyone in the past. Now Matsumoto Rangiku was his next victim.

Hitsugaya looked so passionate and angry; Hinamori couldn't help but put a hand on his cheek. He looked at her intently.

"I can't guarantee you that I won't accidentally hurt him to the point where I might actually send him to his own death. It's going to be dangerous. I don't want to drag you into something you might regret."

"I don't care," she admitted. "I know it sounds crazy but I don't care if you might actually kill him but we need to save our best friend before it's too late."

He pulled her closer to him, and she felt his heart beating in his chest. It was amazing how calm and centered she felt- like this was the only place in the world where she belonged.

He leaned over, his nose grazed hers, and she tilted her chin up to be kissed. When their lips met, and their tongues touched, it wasn't like any of their other previous kisses. It was like they were kissing in a hundred different places, and her senses were flooded with a new sensation. They kissed as they melted into each other.

Hitsugaya broke the kiss. "You're leaving?" Hinamori asked.

"Yes for now, I'll be back later." He said, taking her hand. The petite girl shook her head. Why did he have to go, she wanted to be with him. Her lips still ached with the force of his kiss.

"_Be_ careful. Don't go anywhere on your own and call me when you need me."

She nodded silently then as if her hands had a mind of their own, she reached out and grasped his arm.

"I…" she faltered. She knew what she wanted to tell him, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. It turned out she didn't have to. He kissed her forehead and nodded.

"I promise I'll never lose you no matter what, just you and me."

Then he turned and disappeared out the door.

_Hinamori Residence_

Hinamori sat on the carpet in her dark little living room surrounded by homework and textbooks as she flipped through the pages of Honshu's annual book. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but Hitsugaya had suspected that there must have been _something _in his year book that written in it but Hinamori said she couldn't remember what she wrote and what page it was on. The book had been arranged much differently from Karakura High, flipping through the pages, hoping for something to catch her eye. Page after page of goofy club photographs, sport events, plays, class photos, teachers and a whole array of plaintive senior messages scrawled along the pictures ruining them.

Then halfway through the 2011 yearbook, she found exactly what she was looking for. She scrambled to her feet, cradling the book to her chest and fled for the phone to call Hitsugaya. She dialled his number.

"Pick up, pick up." She whispered fiercely into the receiver but all she got was the continuous ringing of his cell and then his voicemail. She called his house but his uncle said that he was out and advised her to try Matsumoto, so she did.

"Hello, Matsumoto's residence?" he picked up on the second ring.

"Oh, thank god I've found what we needed, I'll be right there."

She hung up before Hitsugaya could provide her anymore information giving herself one last glance at her summer girl reflection, she flung her hair over her shoulders and went out into the night.

Hitsugaya was in Matsumoto's kitchen warming up left-over food when Hinamori burst through the door. Hinamori pulled him over to examine the mid-section of the annual placing it in his hands; it was opened to the photograph of the Honshu High School Music/Band Club. There at its center was Hinamori Momo and next to her was Mitsuru Nichika, their arms were draped casually around each other in a friendly gesture. But Hitsugaya took a second glance; she didn't have the natural beauty that Hitsugaya was so fondly attracted to but she was still an awkward-looking, thin, black-hair girl with brown eyes.

"Jesus Christ," said Hitsugaya, his colour draining. "She looks just like you."

The caption at the bottom written out the names of the club, most he didn't pay attention to but there were three names that caught his attention. _Futami, Yukie; Mitsuru, Nichika and Hinamori Momo _even though Hinamori was harder to spot in her crowd of friends her bun still popped out from the crowd.

"I had an indescribable attraction to Nichika both in elementary and one-third of my high school year even though he was _supposed _to be dating Futami, one of my several best friends."

"I knew that Nichika always had feelings for me but he just couldn't bring himself to break Futami's heart the same went for me but we both had our different reasons, she was my best friend for heaven's sake. One day unexpectedly she ended their three year relationship, he was heart broken and then suddenly Futami disappeared and Nichika became an insensible jerk, he wasn't even sad after she _left _as he only had his sight for me."

Hinamori rolled her eyes on the last sentence. She could see Hitsugaya deliberating for a moment. He touched the photograph of the young Futami as if his fingertips could somehow protect her retroactively. "What happened to her?"

"Who knows?" She shrugged. "She just left like that."

Hinamori laid the yearbook down flipping it to the sophomore section. They found Futami, Yukie's photograph. She was a different girl from the one in the band club and how Hinamori last remembered her. She wore a black tank-top and deep blood red lipstick. Her eyes looked helpless and sad and hard at the same time. Her hair was streaked unprofessionally by bleach; she obviously hadn't gone to a salon afterwards.

"It's all about you," Hitsugaya said. He flipped through the pages rapidly falling upon the comments pages, they were signed by several fellow classmates but the only ones highlighted were the messages or paragraphs written in Hinamori's elegant script.

"Futami, Yukie reminds him of you, he's never actually truly loved her." He flipped to the student's individual photographs. Hinamori's picture was covered with hearts and everything about her was highlighted, all the clubs she was in, her classes email and number in Honshu Town were marked in the corner of the pages so if he needed he could just flip to them faster.

"You've got to be kidding," he said almost to himself. Then he looked up at Hinamori's pale face a hand covering her mouth while her fingers lightly grazed her lips, she was shaking. Hitsugaya snatched the phone off the counter and dialled Renji's number.

"Hitsugaya, I think there's something you need to read." Hinamori spoke through the tense silence. "It's in my car so I'll just go down quickly; I'll only be gone for a minute."

She fled out the door leaving Hitsugaya waiting.

He waited but Hinamori never came back up it was 9:30pm it had been at least fifteen minutes, he reached in his pocket. _Shit I forget my cell in my car. _He dialled on Matsumoto's mobile, he waited and after a few moments he got her voicemail.

Suddenly the door burst open and Hitsugaya saw Ichigo and Renji standing in the doorway, they were breathing heavily. Before they could ask what was up the phone rang, it was Hinamori. Hitsugaya clicked on and pressed it to his ear before he could say a word of greeting; a much too familiar voice popped on.

"Hitsugaya, Toushirou let's see how good you are at playing hide and seek."

The line died and Hitsugaya froze. "Toushirou what's going on?"

"Find him," Hitsugaya said to Ichigo, throwing the phone down. "Call the police, get him arrested, he's our guy."

"What are you talking about and where's Momo?"

Renji cut in. "What the hell is going on?"

"He took her, that's all I know. But do you guys have any clue to where Matsumoto might be?"

Ichigo looked at Renji; Renji looked at him.

They shrugged.

Hinamori awoke with a start to the smell of gasoline. The odour was so strong that it stuck to her clothing. She came to with a start, but it was so dark that it took her a few moments to realize that her eyes were open. Her hands and feet were bound. She sat up and hit her head on something hard just above her. The impact sent a shock wave of pain through her skull and she back down into a lying position.

"Hitsugaya?" she said. Her voice came out in a whimper.

They were in motion and Hinamori was caught off balance and hit the soft leather of the backseats of a car. It wasn't so much of the movement that tipped her off as the thud against her body as her head swung back and hit the leather seats but the speed of the car.

It was then she panicked.

She started to scream even though it was useless. She used her bound hands to claw at the door but the automatic locks were on.

"Momo."

She froze and every hair on her body stood up. She could recognize that voice anywhere, he was with her in this car driving at least 100km/h. In the dark.

Hinamori continued to struggle against her bindings.

"Momo." His voice was strained and brutal. "I need you to be quiet."

"Let me go, Mitsuru," she pleaded into the darkness.

She felt him slam the breaks and she flew forward hitting her body against the passenger seat and swung backwards. She heard the doors open and then she felt him fumble for her and she forced herself not to cringe under his touch as his hand found her leg and moved up her thigh and stopped and then with his other hand he grabbed her ankle and was dragging her out of the vehicle.

She felt herself hit the gravel ground in the cold night. She couldn't see where she was when a blindfold covered her vision, all was dark.

"I thought we'd spend some time together like the old days," he said and his voice caught. "It's like we barely know each other anymore." He was right next to her. His breath hot against her face.

**Authors Note: Well there's chapter twenty! I hope you enjoyed it! XD Anyway I'll update once I get **_**210+ reviews**_**! See you soon! Thank you! **


	21. Dangerous Playmate

Chapter 21

When Hinamori didn't pick up her cell phone, Hitsugaya's thoughts grew dark. He was already in his car blasting down the empty streets of Karakura Town with Ichigo and Renji following not to far behind. He left identical troubled messages on Hinamori's voice mails and then let the phone rest on his lap, willing to let it ring. It was nearly three in the morning and it was a cold. Then his phone rang it snapped it open and hung in on his right shoulder while pressing down with his ear.

"Hello? Hello?"

"She could be anywhere, maybe she went home? Anything."

"Right." Said Hitsugaya, frustrated with denial.

"Well I've got Rukia, Inoue, Ishida and a few others out searching to plus we've got the police and they haven't seen her or Rangiku."

"I got it thanks." He snapped his phone shut.

His phone rang once again, groaning he shoved his ear piece in his phone and let it hang of his ear. It was his uncle.

"We've got information on Rangiku, she went out at around seven and she was seen exiting her apartment with a man and the people have caught sight of a black convertible speeding down the lower side of town heading towards the riverbanks."

Hitsugaya slammed on his breaks and a loud screeched echoed his not too far behind.

"The beach."

_Downtown. _"Okay, thanks uncle I am on my way there."

He fishtailed and was now heading the opposite direction ignoring Ichigo's horn.

When Hitsugaya pulled up behind a patrol car in front of an abandoned candy shop now covered in various graffiti, a cop was waiting. "His car was located on the five blocks from here; he's down by Onose Beach."

_Five blocks damn. _He turned and started to walk with Ichigo, Renji and the officer following close behind. The officer was calling for back up and spoke into his walkie-talkie. "Find them," he said into the static. "He'll kill them if you don't."

Hitsugaya shoved the remaining Tylenol pills into his mouth forcing them down with a gulp of water and threw his water bottle in the next garbage can. His felt his body loosen up, already anticipating for the drug to kick in. It was psychosomatic yet it eliminated all physical pains that he would probably experience _very _soon. The pills didn't work that fast but he didn't care. He had to focus. To think. How had Nichika managed to find Hinamori? Why did he take Matsumoto if he wanted Hinamori? It all added up to one thing; the guy was in need. And that worried Hitsugaya.

"How desperate is he?" Renji asked as if reading the prodigy's thoughts.

He rolled his sleeves up the elbow and flexed his fingers, they were getting stiff. "He's been obsessed with a former childhood friend," he explained. "She reminds him of an ex-lover of an affair that ended sophomore year. I would say that he's in very desperate measures. If you're asking me there's a possibility he might kill himself if he succeeds in killing them."

"So you think he killed her already?" Ichigo asked.

"No." he paused. "Hopefully."

"Why would he take them to the beach?" asked Renji.

Hitsugaya deliberated. "He'll take them somewhere where it's stranded at this time of night and has a lot of hidden places, I guess you can say somewhere he feels that it's the easiest way to kill them with water and yet it'll be safe to leave them washed away on the shore so it'll erase all evidence as to when they're discovered."

The officer nodded. "True that, the cheap bastard needs a fast death but in a way he won't get caught, no blood no foul so people could just possibly _assume _two drunk girls stumbled on the beach and went for a lil swim and drowned. Happens all the time."

"Let's hurry." Hitsugaya said. The officer placed his hand on his shoulder and pulled the gun out of his buckle. "You might need this but be careful because if you advance too quickly and spook him, he'll likely hurt one of them and himself. He doesn't have enough hands or thoughts to hold two hostages. He'll choose the better kill."

Hitsugaya nodded and held the pistol in his hand and loaded it with the extra bullet the cop had given him and snapped it back into place with a light 'click.'

"You killed her, you murdered Futami, Yukie," Hinamori said as she turned herself in the sand under the dock helplessly bound by ropes and duck tape. She couldn't see anything through the blindfold.

Nichika's voice was strangled with sadness. "I am sorry."

Hinamori's voice felt like the loudest thing in the world to her. She heard echoes of herself clearer through her ears that were full of water. She willed herself to sow the intake of oxygen, to relax, to make him think that she was not afraid. She had to convince him that she was strong. That she could control the situation at hand. "Sorry? Mitsuru, you're a monster. You need help. I can help you."

"You shouldn't have left me all alone you should have just accepted me." He said. She could feel the soft yet itchy fabric of an old thin scarf against her skin below her hairline at the base of her scalp, and then in the front of her throat. She reached up blindly for the fabric to rip it from her neck but it tied tightly around her neck.

She gasped and gagged while pulling at it but Nichika grasps her bound wrists with one hand, tying it tighter around her throat. Her head throbbed and filled with fire. All of her senses came to life as she adjusted her eyes and she could see him in front of her. Not a person but a dark shape as the fabric around her vision was removed.

Her mind was clarifying information: Obsessions. Kidnapped. Murderer. Mitsuru, Nichika. And now: Hitsugaya and Matsumoto. "Where's Rangiku?" her voice was raspy.

"I wonder." Nichika shifted and she saw him walking away engulfed by darkness and then moments later another figure was thrown into the sand with a 'thud.' Nichika stood over Matsumoto legs on each side and he had a gun pointed down at her forehead. Hinamori sealed herself away from a sudden wave of nausea, swallowing the warm saliva that rose to her throat at the sight of Matsumoto.

She was unconscious and naked except for a pair of pink underpants and her forearms and ankles were bruised and bleeding while being bounded with duct tape. Her eyes were slits revealing white; her mouth was wet with saliva, her hair matted in sweat that it clung to her face.

She realized with devastating clarity that it was always about her, that it had always been about her; Hinamori Momo. And she knew that she might die along with her best friend if she was still alive at the moment, he would kill them, both of them. There was no question now.

"It's all your fault," Nichika explained running his hand up her leg thankful that she was wearing jeans while his other hand ran along the back of her neck. "You shouldn't have left me ever."

Hinamori looked over at her unconscious naked friend which Nichika had now thrown a blanket over her body. It was then that Hinamori made a silent vow: She was not going to let them die. Not in the hands of a fucking psychopathic classmate.

"You can do what you want to me," Hinamori said. "But you have to let Rangiku go."

Nichika's face was all shadowed but a glow outlines his features as the moon lit the sandy beach. The corner of his mouth twitched. "I can't."

It took everything for Hinamori to keep her face composed.

"Are you going to kill her?"

"I have no choice."

Hinamori felt her personal bubble close in on her. Even if she was unbound she wouldn't get far in the soggy sand before Nichika tackled her from behind. If she tried to fight him off, he would easily just stab her with his pocket knife.

"And me?"

"Look at her." Nichika reached out tentatively and touched Matsumoto's hip caressing the soft skin, letting his finger trace the deep curve down to her slender waist and over her ribs.

"Isn't she just beautiful?"

Hinamori grimaced as Matsumoto stirred, she was alive. Oh how Hinamori still wanted Matsumoto not to wake up at the very moment. Nichika placed a long strip of duck tape over the woman's mouth before she was aware of her surroundings and then her screams became muffled by the mouth guard as she stared at Hinamori in horror.

"I didn't kidnap her peachy," he said softly. "She came with me." He closed his eyes. "And did _exactly _what I asked her to do." He silently lied.

"You're crazy." Hinamori said through clenched teeth.

Nichika smiled to himself as she ogled with the semiconscious girl under him. Hinamori was disgusted that she'd ever opened up to him or even touch her as he was not slowly caressing her cheek. She saw every encounter, every fumbled; the images ticked by, a sad slide show of her sad childhood. She wanted to so badly to erase everything she ever knew about the man standing in front of her but deep down she knew it was the pathetic truth; she was once infatuated with him.

His breathing became more rapid and his face flushed with arousal. He continued to caress Matsumoto as she laid helplessly on the beach bounding by ropes and tape as Nichika was now groping her, running his hand along her naked breasts. "I only want them because they remind me of you."

Hinamori told herself to be strong, that she could get out of this with her friend. "That's bullshit. You've always had it bad for teenage girls."

"No," he said, his voice cracked. "Only you, you made me into this. I never once paid attention to any other. Not until you. You did this to me." He slid his hand from Matsumoto's bosom back down her stomach, her waist and down along the waistband of her underpants.

"Stop that." Hinamori pleaded, turning her head, unable to look.

She squeezed her eyes shut as Nichika approached her and he was now extremely close to her face that his breath was tickling it. He lifted her chin up but she never opened her eyes until she thought better as his lips traced her cheek and she whipped her head to the side out of his grasp.

"Did I mean anything to you?"

"Of course, you were my best friend and possibly my second brother."

"I still think about that day after school in tenth grade. How you were standing, what you were wearing, and what we said to each other. You gave me a scrape book of our time together beginning from elementary till the day you left. I've never filled in another page because I _can't _fill it in unless you're there."

He touched her face again, and she jerked away and felt the fabric around her neck tighten as she retched again, forcing herself to remain still, she was afraid to move. _Don't cry, _she told herself. _Don't._

"I remember everything about you," he said, and then she felt his lips brush against her cheek again and it made her want to vomit. "Your favourite song, _Momoiro no Hana_, your birthday, your favourite colour, fruit; everything. You gave me your soul and heart." He kissed her lips, dragging his bottom lip up the side of her face, leaving a path of moisture. She squeezed her eyes and hands tighter till they felt like bleeding. She could smell his sweat, and breath.

He pulled away and she could feel the scarf loosen but she was still afraid to open her eyes, afraid of what she might see. "I was happy. I was dating your best friend just to get closer to you, but you were so mature and wise beyond our age that you couldn't betray a friendship like that with Yukie. I should have never have done it, should have never put my feelings into words. But I took a chance and in the end I lost everything. Yukie broke my heart and you turned away from me and disappeared."

He grabbed her head in his hands then she felt his lips on her mouth again, his tongue pushing against her sealed lips. The fabric tightened around her throat and she gasped. Before he could succeed, Hinamori flung open her eyes, and shoved her bound legs forward. Nichika fell backward and Hinamori struggled with her tied hands and with a hard rip to the side the binding snapped off leaving her with rope burn and torn skin. She screamed at the throbbing pain as the blood ran down her hand then dripped off her fingers dissolving in the sand.

She pushed herself up and began unwinding the tape and ropes around her ankles but before she could free herself completely Nichika tackled her into the sand. He was kissing her fiercely as she struggled with shoving him off; his legs were tangled with hers. Ripping her lips away she screamed, a few feet away from her she saw Matsumoto struggling with her bindings.

"Get off of me!" Hinamori screamed and dug her nails into his chest ignoring his howls of pain. He slapped her across the face but she fought against the stinging as she continued to pinch his skin until it bled. He grabbed her hair and slammed her head into the ground, hard. She grabbed at a broken bottle within her reach and swung cutting into his skin and then he finally rolled off of her.

"Fuck!" he screamed as he clutched his new wound. He reached behind him and pulled out a silver revolver and pointed it at the petite girl bleeding in the sand. She froze.

"Momo, you should have never left me and now this leaves me with no choice," she heard the click on the gun.

"You were too good for me that's what everyone told me but you proved to me that you could be everything to me and now I wished you should have known better."

**Authors Note: Will Hitsugaya make it in time?! Well you'll just have to wait and read till next time! I'll update when I get 223+ reviews! Thank you and see you very soon. :) **


	22. In The Dead Of Night

Chapter 22

Hitsugaya was standing in the corner of Karasuma and Shichijō Street. He didn't like the fact that Nichika's black convertible was empty. Within forty-five minutes of officer Shuhei, Hisagi's call for reinforcements, every one had been reported for duty on the Secret Mobile Unit had arrived and was taping blocks surrounding Onose Beach. An hour before, one of the SMU officers had radioed to say that he had spotted Nichika under the covered area of the docks with two women.

There was no doubt in Hitsugaya's mind, they were _so close_, he could almost feel Hinamori's presence beside him maybe it was the Tylenol side affects. The SMU had already arranged a search team of two police helicopters over the beach.

Nichika should have noticed the 10,000-megawatt helicopter search light as it slid past overhead. In which case, he probably fled from his car dragging his hostages to a vacant location. The Mobile Unit didn't want to reveal their identity so they changed into pure black uniforms enough to camouflage them into the night. Everyone was spread around the area not within sight of Nichika as they slowly and silently crept closer to the dock way ahead in the distance like ninjas surrounding its target. Hitsugaya was _way ahead_ of the team with Ichigo and Renji circling both sides of him like planets revolving around the sun.

And there they were. He couldn't see them visually but he saw the black outlining of only one person while a helicopter circled in the black sky with no searchlight. Hitsugaya stopped his tracking and motioned for his companions, they were at his side like a magnets being forced together.

"That's our guy." He whispered.

Renji placed a radio to his lips. "We've got him."

The radio reported back in a static echo. "I've got the SMU and a hostage negotiator on the way." Officer Shuhei reported. "Over and out."

"There's not a lot of time," Ichigo cautioned Hitsugaya. His hair waved back and forth in rhythm with the ocean. "He's going to want to end this."

"What if he already has?" Renji asked, curious yet serious.

"It's not over till he's gone." Hitsugaya spat under his breath, his irritation flaring.

"How close can we get to him?" Ichigo asked.

"Till he sees me, I am going in alone and don't stop me." Hitsugaya was grim but both Ichigo and Renji didn't protest they understood and began retreating to re-circling the area around the beach out of sight. "Do it."

No one moved or spoke. It was cold as the tide was rushing in and pushing back out. Hitsugaya brought his cupped hands to his mouth, blew warm air on them and then flexed them a few times to keep the blood flowing. His cheeks burned from the wind as his strand hair fluttered in his face. There was no movement in the distance; whoever was standing didn't bother to check his or her surroundings.

"I am gone." Hitsugaya announced and he wrapped his fist around the gun that Officer Shuhei had handed him early. Ichigo spoke out, "Are you going there alone because you think it's a smart thing to do or because you feel like kicking some ass?"

Hitsugaya looked his friend in the eye. _No one else can save them, _Hitsugaya thought. "Don't come unless you hear a shot. Try to signal the SMU when you think they need to take him out."

"Take this." Ichigo said.

The vest. Hitsugaya wasn't aware that maybe Nichika had a weapon of some sort with him but it was a possibility. He pulled his hand away, making the gun click with a flick of a finger. "I am better light when in action."

Hitsugaya began pacing fluently towards the dock. He squinted into the darkness and made out the movement of Nichika as he stepped back and disappeared out of view behind a huge boulder. _Too late. _Hitsugaya had already seen him from the middle of the beach in the distance. He shoved the gun into his back pocket covering it with his leather jacket.

"Mitsuru." Hitsugaya spat his name under his breath and it seemed as if Nichika was suddenly aware of his surroundings and then he saw Hitsugaya still walking towards the dock metres away. Nichika shifted out in full view and stood next to a rock of an entryway that led deeper under the dock. He was wearing his uniform shirt with jeans and a dark green jacket with the words '_People always leave,'_ sewed across the front in black thread. His eyes were black holes.

He had one arm firmly around Hinamori's waist and he held a gun underneath her left jaw. A bloody thin white scarf hung loosely around her neck. Both her wrists and ankles showed signs of bindings that used to be there. The scar on her left temple had opened and now a trail of fresh yet dried blood stuck to her hair and face. And judging by Hinamori's drained withering expression, she was pissed off.

"Yo." Hitsugaya said.

"Rangiku's behind me-" Hinamori managed to blurt out before Nichika pulled the ends of the scarf, wrenching it tight again, choking her. He dug the gun deeper into her neck.

"Be quiet," he whispered into her ear. "Why'd you have to do that? Won't you be nice to me?"

Hinamori pulled at the scarf but couldn't get her shaky fingers to loosen it. Her eyes were shut tightly, mouth wide and sputtering. Hitsugaya had about two or three minutes.

"Why don't you join me, friend?" Nichika kept the gun to Hinamori's head while letting his fingers grasp her jacket slipping it off her as she fell into the sand. Never letting go of the scarf he bent onto a knee beside her. If Hitsugaya lunged at him, he would probably shoot her. Her weight was in the sand so her neck wouldn't be able to get snapped. If Hitsugaya did nothing, she was going to die. But that would take a few minutes, and a few minutes were a long time. A successful strangulation was harder than it looked. That gave him a chance.

Hitsugaya reached into his pocket and grabbed his new Tylenol package and ripped the plastic and popped the lid off.

Nichika had Hinamori on her feet again. She was coughing and gasping for air. She had managed to tear the scarf off her neck and now it rested under her foot. "Hinamori, are you alright?" Hitsugaya said amiably. She nodded, raising her head to look at him; her eyes were pleading him, to leave.

Nichika pulled her against him, and kissed the side of her head. Hitsugaya saw and Hinamori felt him licking blood off her scar. Hinamori bit her lip to stop from gagging and closed her eyes. Hitsugaya winced. _Disgusting psychopath. _

Hitsugaya placed a pill in his hand and toyed with it. Nichika looked down at Hinamori who was now staring ahead with supplication and then back up at Hitsugaya. "I am only letting one of you out alive." He said.

Hitsugaya had the pill between his thumb and index finger, looking bored. "You're not threatening." Then he added, "I know scary."

Nichika was struggling with Hinamori, once in a while adjusting his grip on her, fidgeting with the gun, moving it between Hitsugaya and Hinamori. Hinamori kept her eye on the gun. Her whole body was shaking, but she didn't seem to notice. Nichika bit and kissed her ear. "Don't be afraid," he told her. "It'll be over soon." She flinched.

"I've only killed a few." He announced. "They've been dead for a while, about two years. The cosmetics are the only things I have left of them."

Nichika tilted his head up and peered at the helicopter which was still loudly roaming around overhead.

"You think I didn't notice that," he eyed the helicopter. "The loud search party?"

No answer.

Nichika was definitely losing it. He _almost _slipped his grip on Hinamori.

Another involuntary blink.

"I didn't want to do it but I had no choice." Nichika was wavering. He wasn't aware what was going on around him that only meant one thing. He was already planning to die.

If the SMU was in Nichika's view, he would kill Hinamori but when Hitsugaya flicked his head to the side no one was in sight. Everything and everyone was pure black.

"How did you do it?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Kill my first lover? It was easy, I slowly cut her up letting her bleed to death but not before I got what I wanted from her. It's every man's dream to take the most precious possession from a woman. I don't suppose you've taken it from her?" he nudged the side of Hinamori's rib.

Hitsugaya smirked. "Who wants to know?"

That was the sign of sending Nichika over the edge; if something was kept from him he'll just want it more. He ignored the question.

"Girls are easily manipulated," Hitsugaya observed flatly.

Nichika smirked. "I was very popular."

Hinamori rolled her eyes. "Please." She said.

Hitsugaya crushed the pill in his hand and let it slip through his fingers and become one with the sand.

"You're on meds?"

"No. They just take away my pains."

"Let me see them."

"Sorry they have prescription." He was playing with him _making_ him confused.

"I'll shoot her."

"You're going to shoot her anyway."

"I'll kill you."

Hitsugaya put his hands in the air in surrender. "You're not scary, Mitsuru."

Nichika growled and grabbed a fist full of Hinamori's hair pulling it so the roots hurt, she whimpered and then with Nichika's other hand he swung the gun across her face. She landed in the sand barely catching her fall.

He had released her. Hitsugaya worked quickly and swiftly unhooked the gun with one hand behind his back. He pulled the trigger before Nichika could pull his and hit his leg, he fell to the ground while Nichika's gun fired off making a splash of sand fly up and rain back down. The bullet lied centimetres away from Hinamori's head.

Hitsugaya ran and tackled him into the waters edge. The water made Nichika loose grip of his weapon then he felt a sharp pain run up the side of his face as Hitsugaya punched him full on, bone against bone. Nichika's head spun as his cheek was forced in the watery sand; he gagged as he got a lung full of rocks and water. His arm was pressed into his back, if his enemy shifted it to the side with a full swift movement his bone would definitely break. Hitsugaya finally levelled the gun on Nichika as he fumbled for his own but Hitsugaya kicked it away. He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and aimed the gun at his head. Suddenly Hitsugaya felt a pain in his gut then warm moisture, Nichika had stabbed him. Hitsugaya shot him in the arm and swung his gun across his face harder then Nichika had done Hinamori. Nichika's head jerked forward and he slammed into the sand. Hinamori screamed.

Nichika landed on his side and rolled onto his chest, crawling towards an injured Hitsugaya. He was so close he could feel his blood burning in his veins as he clutched his knife with his free arm. Hinamori was shaking as she watched her enemy advance on her injured lover, they never looked more terrifying. Hitsugaya couldn't move he was just lying in the sand clutching his side.

"Hitsugaya, please get up!" Hinamori was screaming, tears threatening to spill.

Nichika was already by him now shifting onto his knees. Hinamori's eyes flickered from Mitsuru to Hitsugaya as he looked back at his enemy with hatred.

That's when Hinamori's eyes caught the gleaming light of Nichika's silver revolver inches away from herself but also moments away from being washed by the tides.

Her eye flickered from the men and back to the weapon and then her weight was slowly shifting to the weapon. Nichika had his knifed hand dug into the sand to help him up while his bloody hand was around Hitsugaya's neck. Hinamori only had a few seconds to act as she heard his whimpers and chokes.

"Stop it Nichika!" she screamed, she snatched the gun in time before the tide ran away.

She was only answered with Hitsugaya's loss of breath.

"Stop it you're killing him!" she cried, tears falling down her face.

Her arms were limp and weak at her side the gun felt heavy in her hand however she managed to gasp the handle with two shaky hands as she raised it with rickety arms.

Hitsugaya had stopped struggling.

"No!" Hinamori screamed and then her fingers pulled back. _Bang! _

Nichika felt the warm blood trickled down his left side just below his heart. He turned to see Hinamori drop the gun and fall to her knees, she turned sideways and then his vision went black.

There was already reinforcements on the dock above, they had been there for a while just watching and then they rushed in. They cuffed Nichika and some attended to Matsumoto, re-wrapping the blanket around her and carrying her off with Renji following by her side.

Ichigo was kneeling beside Hinamori but she begged him to help Hitsugaya. Meanwhile she struggled to walk towards him, falling onto her knees by him and she pulled him in a hard embrace sobbing into him. Ichigo supported Hitsugaya as they walked towards reinforcements.

The ambulances had already arrived strapping in and carrying Matsumoto away as Hitsugaya was being carried away on a stretcher in another Nichika was already gone. Hinamori accompanied Hitsugaya holding his hand and cried into him, ignoring her own injuries as they were being treated by a nearby nurse. She kissed him; he was too weak to raise his arms even a few inches, as he was losing blood. She lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed his palm. He felt the warm tears on her face before he saw them. She was crying and it broke his heart.

"I'll be alright." He says, comforting her.

She smiled because she believed everything was going to be all right and that it was almost over.

**Authors Note:** **Hope you enjoyed it! Review please XD and I'll try to update once I get 242+reviews! Thank you for your support! Lots of love-xoxo **


	23. What Hurts The Most

Chapter 23

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto rested in white hospital beds each on opposite sides of the room. The annoying beeping sounds of their heart monitors woke Hinamori. She fluttered her eyes opened and cringed at the pain that shot up her back as she stretched, she wriggled out her arms and mumbled 'ow, ow' as they had fallen asleep under the weight of her body.

She laid her chin inches away from Hitsugaya's sleeping form and frowned. It had been almost three weeks. She sighed sending a gentle breath of air across his face that stirred his soft white hair.

"Won't you wake up and come back to me?" she whispered. Then frowned as she got no response just the sound of his heart monitor insync with Matsumoto's. She lifted her head, sighed, and then stood. Her eyes locked onto her boyfriend's face, tears were forming into her eyes as she leaned her head over his, her hair falling over her shoulders and spilled around Hitsugaya's face. She slowly leaned down, blinking away tears, closed her eyes and then she kissed his lips briefly before his cheek and then her lips were at his ear. A tear slid down her cheek and then she swallowed a sob.

"I love you."

She wasn't aware of what she had said till she was standing again with a hand against her mouth, her words taking her by surprise. But they were true she realized and she knew even though he probably hadn't heard it, she knew she only spoke the truth. She did love him with all her heart and soul. Hitsugaya had her heart and she didn't want to have it any other way.

She heard the door click and spun as her arms instinctively wrapped around herself. Abarai Renji paused at the door and gave her an awkward yet apologetic smile. She wriggled her fingers at him in a friendly greeting then he was closing the door behind him.

"I hope I am not interrupting." He whispered.

She shook her head, hoping her tears had dried.

"How are they?"

Hinamori spun her had back to Hitsugaya and then to Matsumoto then her hand flew out in a gesture saying _see for yourself. _She noticed Renji holding a bouquet of flowers and cocked an eyebrow.

"Flowers?"

"Uh…" he scratched his head, blushing and then Hinamori's eyes flew to Matsumoto's sleeping form. She smirked.

She walked towards him and punched him on the arm. Mouthing _way to go tiger. _

"Rawr." Hinamori joked and laughed under her breath when Renji was beet red.

"Where you going?" Renji asked when he saw her heading for the door.

She shrugged and waved a hand at him before entering the hall.

Hinamori was at the entrance to the hospital before she saw Ukitake proceeding up the steps to the building. He paused when he saw his nephew's girlfriend at the top of the staircase and she was now skipping two steps at a time before she was in front of him. She gave him a smile.

"Hi Momo, long time no see!"

"Hi uncle!" she chimed, greeting him with a hug. They had grown very close throughout the months Hitsugaya and Hinamori had been dating; it was like she was part of the family. Despite her closeness to Hitsugaya's only remaining family member, her parents on the other hand had no idea about their daughter's nearly one year relationship with Hitsugaya; well they had their suspicions but they hadn't the slightest hint that it was _official_.

"Are you here to visit Hitsugaya?"

"Of course, how is he?"

Hinamori's expression lowered. "He's still asleep."

"I see."

"But I am sure he'll be better soon!"

She tried her best to hide her sadness.

"Of course he will and when he is, you'll be the first to know." Ukitake winked at Hinamori and she beamed. "Thank you!"

"Oh!"

Ukitake raised his eyebrows at her sudden reaction.

"I am sorry but I just remembered that I need to be somewhere."

She bowed and waved her good-byes.

She ran along the streets of Karakura Town in the scorching summer heat, her heels clacking along the concrete sidewalks while the wind carried her hair.

She grabbed her phone and dialled a number. It only rung once.

"Hisagi, I need you to meet me outside the entrance of the SMU department, I'll be there in fifteen. Thanks."

She pulled up into the small parking lot behind the office and thanked the taxi driver before sighting Hisagi at her door. He greeted her with a firm handshake.

"Are you sure you wanna be here?"

"Yeah," Hinamori said, taking a step out of the car.

"He's a major psycho."

"Yeah but he's _my_ psychopath." She said firmly with confidence.

Hisagi led her through the police department into the interior more off limited areas of jail cells, but they stopped by a large metal bolted door. Hisagi typed in a code before a voice on the other end said, "Key?"

"Hisagi Shuhei asking for entry."

"Sorry I don't remember that being in the code book."

Hisagi frowned. "Let me in Iba or else."

"Or else what?" he was playing.

"Or your face with meet my fist and gun."

The buzzer sounded.

Hisagi led Hinamori down a long corridor of metal doors each with a glass window, each holding a prisoner. They stopped at the end of the hall and went through another metal door, now Hinamori saw a huge plastic fame that filled the wall. She looked below and only one man was sitting at a table that seemed to a room the size of a racket ball court.

Without a word, Hinamori went downstairs alone.

Before she opened the door that now separated her and Nichika, she took a deep breath and stepped through.

He didn't even look up at her arrival as her heels echoed against the wooden walls. She never hesitated to seat herself in front of him across the metal table. His ankles and hands were bound with metal shackles. Hinamori saw his smile as he raised his head and they stared back at each other.

"Ah, if it isn't my little peachy." He purred. Her gaze narrowed.

"Coming to ask for my forgiveness?"

"I am not here for small talk, Mitsuru." She flicked her hair back and folded her hands on top of the table and glared at him.

"How are my old friends?" he asked with a bored tone. Hinamori let out a deep breath. "Never better."

Nichika snickered, "Well then tell them my relief."

Hinamori narrowed her gaze and her hands tightened.

"Screw you." She spat. "You're not even the least upset about it!"

Nichika frowned and cocked his head to the side staring back at her with innocent eyes and a pout. "Do you not want my apologies?"

He reached for her hand but she never pulled back instead she placed hers on top of his and then her nails were digging into his skin. He cringed and yelped in pain.

"I want you dead." Her tone was lethal. "I could have killed you that night, but I didn't because I want you to suffer," his hand was bleeding now. "I want you to feel pain, grief, and the ache of failure."

She smiled wickedly. "And you'll think about me every night that I am not here, won't you?" she said. "When you're all alone in the darkness."

She took her bloody nails out of his skin and grabbed his cup of water and threw it over him. "That's for my best friend," she slapped him across the face. "That's for my boyfriend, and this is for me." She backhanded him leaving a streak of bloody moisture. Then she straightened up and said, "It's over."

She hit the buzzer for the door and Hisagi stood by the entrance and she walked through.

"Wait." She heard Nichika's voice faltering.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and it took everything she had to not look back.

Hinamori arrived at Hitsugaya's house at seven-thirty to talk to Ukitake but it was dark so she decided to reconsider but she was there, at his doorstep. _Doesn't hurt to try. _

She knocked. What shocked her wasn't what she came to find but who she didn't expect to find. Hitsugaya was awake and he was standing in front of her. Without hesitation she threw her arms around him.

"Oh, Hitsugaya you're awake and released!"

He balanced them with an arm on the door jam. He grunted.

"But some pains are still there." He winced.

Hinamori immediately released and gave him some air.

"Oh, I am sorry! But then why aren't you still at the hospital and what about Rangiku?"

"I couldn't wait so I _needed _to see you and Matsumoto is still recovering with the help of Abarai of course, he took her by surprise."

Hinamori nodded. "Renji's full of mysteries."

Hitsugaya took her hand and closed the door behind her before leading her upstairs. She placed herself in his spinning computer chair and threw her shoulder bag over the back cushion while Hitsugaya gently laid down in the comfort of his bed burying his face into his pillow.

"It's good to be home." He murmured.

"Hmm." Hinamori smiled as she spun herself around and around.

Hitsugaya was watching her twirl and twirl, her hair flowing after and tangling around her. "Come here." He whispered. Hinamori stopped herself with a foot.

Hitsugaya pushed himself up onto his elbows but Hinamori shook her head.

"Don't get up."

She laid her head on his chest while running her fingers along his body. She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent while listening to the beat of his strong, calm heart.

Hinamori rolled off him and settled at his side, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him as he played with her hair then ran his hand up her exposed arm. She buried her face into the conjunctions of his neck and nuzzled him.

"I missed you." She whispered.

"Me too."

She kissed his neck.

"Thank you." She murmured.

"For what?"

"You."

Hitsugaya shifted his weight supporting himself on one elbow as he looked down on his partner. She was close to tears. Hitsugaya smiled and placed his hand under her hair at the back of her neck and supported her head till their faces were centimetres apart.

"You're everything to me." He whispered kissing her forehead, a tear slid down her cheek which he wiped away.

"Don't cry."

Her body was shaking and she began hyperventilating. Hitsugaya placed his hands on either side of her face. "Hinamori." His tone was serious but pleading.

Her hand was at the back of his neck and then she was kissing him, demanding, passionate, her desires burning even though she quivered. Hitsugaya supported himself with his forearms are each side of her head. Their legs tangled as did their hands in each other's hair.

Hinamori bent her leg and her knee pressed into his side, panting as he ran kisses along her face and nibbled his favourite place above her collar bone. Her fingers tightened in his hair.

"Hitsugaya." She choked on his name as she ran her trembling hands up his chest before pushing him lightly off. "I think you're uncle may be coming home soon." She panted. Hitsugaya's head turned to the side, _yes she's right. _He pulled himself and his girlfriend off his bed before they straightened themselves out.

"There was something I wanted to show you about a month ago." Hinamori said throwing the bag strap over her shoulder before taking his hand and leading him downstairs.

Hinamori handed him a yellow-ish brown worn out book of paper the hard cover binding had already fallen off and lost. The pages torn and ripped, most writing was faded and illegible; the ink was splattered and smudge from old days of rain. Hitsugaya flipped through the first few pages.

"What is this, a script book?"

Hinamori frowned, her eyes saddening.

"Scrap book."

"Of?"

He flipped to a page of pictures, pictures of Hinamori's childhood or friendship with Mitsuru Nichika. Hitsugaya closed the book.

"Hinamori, why are you showing me this?"

Her eyes were on the fireplace that flickered back and forth making their shadows shrink and enlarge. She took the pages from him.

"This."

She had flipped to the mid-section before a blank yellow one continued on for the rest. On the last filled out page was a pink envelope glued in the middle of the paper. She flicked back the seal and plucked out a blue stained paper. She unfolded it and Hitsugaya leaned his head on her shoulder. They read the letter.

_Hinamori Momo,_

_I don't know whether or not you'll ever receive or read this letter but I'll do this anyway expressing myself in words the best I can. I don't know why you left, are you truly leaving or running away from something you're afraid to want? Were we truly real or was everything just a game of lies? Because I for hell sure felt something between us even though they were all different things, pain, grief, death, friendship, truth, lies and…love. Because I do…_

The writing afterwards was smudged with water spills and made the rest illegible. Hinamori refolded the letter back and held it to her chest and recited the remains.

"Because I do truly love you, of course you know that. It's always been you and no one else, even if you can't return these feelings; I won't care because what's love without friendship? Friendship is what we have and that's our unbreakable bond, I love you for who you are Hinamori Momo so don't ever change. Anyone would be lucky to have you, to just be close to you and I know I can't have that because you only ask for friendship. I just need you to know that I will always love you like a sister, family, and a friend."

Hinamori flipped the folded envelope over and ran her fingers along the writing which dented through the other side. _Best Friends Forever, I Love You always and forever and this is for our never ending friendship. I'll miss you. _

The letter signed off with a heart faded in black ink. She slipped the letter back into the faded pink envelope and closed the book of pages. Hitsugaya sat in silence beside her as he watched her tears pour out her eyes and dissolve into the book. She wrapped her arms around her legs and cried.

Hitsugaya hugged her to him and she cried into him, grasping his shirt and staining it with tears. Her hands shook against him even after she calmed down and cried herself dry. Hitsugaya rested his chin on her head, her hold on him never loosened.

"I am sorry…" she murmured into his skin. He stroked her back and kissed her hair, his hand found one of hers on his chest and he was uncoiling her fingers to let her hand rest in his.

"Hitsugaya…"

"Hm?"

"I want you to do something for me."

"Anything."

She pulled away from him and stood, holding the pages in her hand. Leaning against him, she walked over to their light source. Hinamori reached down for his hand and their fingers entangled. Hitsugaya squeezed her fingers, he kissed her neck before she turned her head then he was kissing her lips while their arms wrapped around Hinamori's waist. They looked into each other's eyes afterwards.

Hinamori turned towards the flames, and held the papers out and with the flick of her wrist the book twirled and landed in the fire, smouldering in the embers. Hitsugaya's hold tightened as he saw Hinamori's eyes fill with tears once again but she ignored them as she watched the flames devour the remainder of what might have been her past.

**Authors Note:** **OMG! I started crying when I was writing out the stupid letter! Wah! Now my nose is all stuffy after I finished writing this chapter. Any who the next chapter will be the last of this story because I've been writing the sequel for my other story **_**Secret Affections**_, **which is titled **_**The Taste of Night.**_** I hope you'll read that story as well, any who I'll upload the epilogue when I get 263+ reviews! **

**P.S- I didn't bother to proof read while I was writing this chapter! XD **


	24. As The Year Goes By

**The sequel to this story is coming in either June or July 2008, the summary has been uploaded on my profile with no spoilers! Check it out any way, and the sequel for Secret Affections has been uploaded!**

Chapter 24

"As you leave this High School where you have spent four wonderful years of growth and learning…As you go forth into the world, no longer as students, you must realize that the world belongs to you now. Your generation will decide where we all go next. You till be the one to shape the future. You will be the ones…"

Hinamori tuned out the as the valedictorian droned on.

She wiped her sweaty hands in the folds of her black robe.

"It's so hot in here," she whispered to another girl next to her.

"When can we take these off?"

The flat black cap, tilted over her head, felt as if it weighted a hundred pounds. Hinamori knew it was going to leave a permanent mark somehow in her hair. Sweat streamed down her forehead.

She glanced at the rows of robed students on stage. As they gathered in the assembly hall this morning, her friends had been bursting with excitement about graduation. Inoue Orihime was practically _flying, _swirling around in circles, her graduation robe whirling around her.

Renji, Ichigo's best friend gave Hinamori such a big hug, her accidentally knocked her cap off.

"Do you believe it I graduated in only four years?!" he exclaimed. "And Ichigo predicted _six_!"

Ichigo seemed excited too. He grabbed Rukia and greeted her with a kiss.

"Freedom!" he shouted. "A few more hours, and we're out of here! Freedom! Freedom!" He started a chant, and his friends joined in.

A sad smile crossed Hinamori's face. She knew why her friends were so happy and excited. They really were getting out of here, out of Karakura Town. All going away to either college or university. In a few months Hitsugaya would be at Kyoto University elsewhere in Japan. And Matsumoto would be off at Soka University on the far west.

_And I'll be here. _Hinamori thought, unable to fight away her sadness. She was accepted into four Universities, including Kyoto and Soka, places where she really wanted to go. But no, she was going to be living at home, going to an idiotic Community College.

What choice did she have? She couldn't really leave her family so soon, her poor niece and mother. Her father, they all needed to be a _whole _family even her siblings were in grieving denial.

She wanted to be excited and happy. Graduating from high school was a major thing in everyone's life. It was supposed to be a day you'd never forget.

And it was kind of thrilling to hear your name called and you'd be slowly walking along that stage to receive your diploma as students screamed and cheered for you.

Hinamori smiled and waved her diploma at her family. She could see and _hear _them from the fourth row.

Kind of intimidating.

But then her fellow homeroom mates settled into their folding chairs, sweating under their robes, shifting the caps on their heads. And the principle in his tight-fitting grey suit spoke in his scratchy deep voice.

"The future isn't only a promise, it's a responsibility. How will you find your role in your future? By looking to the past because the past is where your future springs from…"

Yawn.

Hinamori turned to head and viewed the crowd behind her.

There should be three empty seats, she thought. A chair for Mitsuru, Mitsuki and Haruka. They should've been here and there was no mistake about it, they would be happy too. They should all be graduating, but no. Three empty spaced out chairs. Three students who will not be graduating.

The sadness was overwhelming. Hinamori felt hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She turned her head away blinking away her tears; she didn't want her family to see.

She tried hard to keep it together as she glanced down at the red ribbon tying her diploma and saw that it was stained with tears.

Loud cheers startled Hinamori from her thoughts. All around her students leaped up and tossed their caps in the air. Blinking away her sadness, she climbed to her feet and joined them as well.

The ceremony had ended. _I am a high school graduate._

Now everyone was going to scatter and start new lives.

_New lives…_

She couldn't stop thinking about her friends.

"Return your robes to the gym, people." Principle Yamamoto boomed over the loudspeakers. "Don't forget to return your robes to the gym."

All around her, people were hugging, laughing, talking excitedly. Some jumped off the stage to be met with their families.

Hinamori waved at Hitsugaya, hurried to return her robe, then found her family outside the front of the school talking to other families.

It was a warm June 2012 morning, the sun already high in the clear blue sky. Families filled the front lawn of the school, snapping photos, chatting and laughing.

Her old history teacher, Shusuke-sensei turned when he saw Hinamori and wrapped her in a big hug.

"Congratulations," he said

She saw tears in his eyes and she hugged him back.

Hinamori nodded. Her lip trembled as she fought the urge to cry.

"Well I have to get back to packing for the new group of seniors; I see a bright future ahead of you Hinamori Momo. I am glad to have had you as my student."

Hinamori saw Hitsugaya and Matsumoto come out of the building as her history teacher walked away.

"Congratulations, sweetie." Her mother hugged her and kissed her on the forehead and wiped her eyes. Tomoe and Kai with Yui by their side was behind her as well, they smiled at their sister. "Congratulations Momo."

Tomoe blinked away her tears and Kai just squeezed her hand while Yui was just grinning at her parents.

"We'll be heading back home, see you later have fun at your dance tonight don't stay out too late, honey."

"Yes dad, I know."

"Good."

They all gave their newly graduated relative a hug before disappearing in the crowd.

Hinamori felt a tap on her shoulder, she turned and Hitsugaya gave her a kiss and twirled her around.

"Hey, we're graduates. Do you believe it? No more planning or creative art classes and no more of Matsumoto telling me how I failed art class!"

Matsumoto laughed. "Just because you have a diploma doesn't mean you're not an epic failure in art class."

Hitsugaya pretended to be hurt. "What's up with that? You're dissing me on graduation day?"

Matsumoto opened her diploma and held it up. "Check it out they misspelled my name, they forgot the n!"

"Ra-gi-ku?" Hinamori tried to sound it out.

Hitsugaya burst out laughing. "That means you didn't graduate," he told his friend. "Oh how will you live on Matsumoto, your whole life is ruined!"

He pretended to be choking and slowly dying to the floor.

"I am going to ruin you!"

Hitsugaya dodge from side to side as Matsumoto's diploma missed his head inches apart. Hinamori ignored them and cut them off.

"Hey, instead of ruining lives why not just come back with me and we'll get ready for the after party?!"

"Is dinner included in this invitation?" Hitsugaya asked.

Hinamori nodded.

"I'll meet you guys later at seven."

_A half in hour before Graduation Dinner Dance, 6:30pm_

Hinamori was exhausted by the time her transformation had finished.

"Are you ready?" Tomoe asked. She flipped the mirror around so Hinamori could see herself in the mirror.

She couldn't believe what she saw. It was the face of her sister staring back at her. The face that smiled serenely from the wedding photos years ago. She was gorgeous goddess.

"Oh," she said her eyes wide. Until now she had never known she looked so much like her sister.

_She is really pretty_, Matsumoto thought. _Pretty _wasn't even the word, she was _inspirational _beyond this world. _Why hadn't the girl noticed that before?_ Matsumoto wondered. She was talking to Ichigo on her cell- telling him that everyone would meet at her apartment building; the dance was to be held on the rooftop. She was telling him what time to arrive till Hinamori's transformation was finally complete.

Hinamori looked every inch of angel sent from heaven. Her lips were full and glossy, they had blown out of hair so that it hung straight and perfect as a curtain down her backless dress revealing the smooth skin. Her sleeveless red halter dress clung to her curves as then began to bloom out dragging around her legs sparkly and frilly. Her silky red elbow length glows reflected in the light. She was Cinderella dressed in red.

"Catch you later; we'll be there in half." Matsumoto rushed the sentence and folded her phone up.

"God you look so great," Matsumoto whispered, when they stood next to each other in the full length mirrors.

"Thanks," Hinamori said. "I feel so silly." She had never looked so angelic in her entire life.

"He's gonna die when he sees you, not like he hasn't already fallen head over heels for you."

That was right; Hinamori and Hitsugaya had been dating for a year now, and today was their grad night. All three girls, Tomoe, Matsumoto and Hinamori arrived to the palatial apartment building, more like a mansion from other's points of view. They exited the car and walked up the stairs arriving at their destination inside was several designs decorating the place. The building was decorated in a flamboyant, peacock fashion, and no paintings covered the wall. Hinamori couldn't believe Matsumoto actually owned part of this place. Almost half of the grad class was there; each had dates when they arrived on the top floor.

Everyone immediately stopped chatting and all movement had stopped when the three girls arrived through the door. Matsumoto and Tomoe just stood and stared at everyone with huge grins. They moved aside.

Everyone gasped as they saw Hinamori in her Cinderella-like state, people immediately rushed over throwing out their comments which she couldn't really catch.

Then she saw him across the room, holding a glass cup which was about to slip through his fingers any second. Their eyes were locked and burning.

Hitsugaya immediately rushed to her side as people stared at the couple in amusement. He looked over her not once but three times, she giggled and blushed. He grabbed her left hand and turned it over; there was the tear drop scar. He smiled.

"It really is you." He murmured as he leaned in but she placed a finger on his lips.

"Lipstick."

Tomoe and Kai; the chaperones clapped their hands and ordered everyone to leave their belongings and soon enough everyone was off for the greatest night of their lives on the rooftop.

_Beach-Outside apartment – Midnight_

Hinamori and Hitsugaya walked in the sand hand in hand as the tides swayed in and out. The chilly night air makes them shiver but they could careless as they're together alone on a soft sandy beach. Hinamori slips off her heels as they're killing her feet and buries her feet in the sand as she and her lover sit side by side watching the tides run in and out.

"It's almost time." Hitsugaya whispered into her hair.

"For what?"

"For the tide to change if you watch the tides change it's a sign that something major is about to transform in someone's life."

"What if we miss it?"

Hitsugaya kissed her forehead. "Just wait and see."

They waited.

"I don't see anything Hitsugaya."

She lifted her head off his shoulder and found him staring into her eyes with her favourite smirk.

"That's because it already changed."

"What-"

He kissed her. Her eyes were wide in revelation and then she relaxed into the kiss returning it with equal passion as Hitsugaya was slowly leaning over her and then she was being pressed into the sand. She felt the fragments sink beneath her, thankful that Hitsugaya's jacket was under her or else they'd be in her backless dress.

She needed air but oh god the kiss. It was different in a _very _exotic way. Her lover's hand slide up her thigh underneath the folds on her Cinderelly dress running along her hip, waist and then it rested at the small of her back, she squirmed at the feeling, and it wasn't comfortable. He finally broke the kiss, they panted against each other's necks as Hitsugaya slid his hand back the way it entered.

He kissed her forehead, cheek, jaw making his way to her ear.

"I want you right here, right now."

Hinamori grasped his undershirt and pushed him off enough to see his face. Her fingers were shaking. She couldn't look him in the eye.

"But I know a guy who reserved a room for the night."

Now, Hinamori looked up at his beautiful smiling face, and she traced her fingers up his chest.

"Do you think he'll let us use it?"

"Oh yeah." He promised, nodding his head.

_Reserved apartment-6325- 12:25am_

Hitsugaya had troubles sliding the key card into place as he struggled in kissing Hinamori, she laughed against his lips as she heard him groan in frustration. She turned the knob and she fell backwards him following on top. They landed on the hard floor with a loud thud.

"Ow, ow." Hinamori said between laughs as Hitsugaya weight was on top of her.

"Crap."

Hinamori laughed and grabbed Hitsugaya's hand as he pulled her up against him kicking the door shut behind him.

"Are you okay?" he kissed her hand and he was rubbing her back with his other free hand. She nodded with a half in pain expression. She turned around and gasped.

"Oh wow…"

"Too much?"

The room was only lit and surrounded with green mint scented candles. Shadows flickered against the walls. Hinamori had tears in her eyes but blinked them away.

"It's perfect."

She slipped off her sand filled heels and walked against the soft carpet flooring towards the big balcony yet she only slit open the curtains and she gasped again as the town could be seen below and outstretched in the distance. She let the drapes fall back into place as she found Hitsugaya lying on the bed with an arm covering his eyes. She pounced on him then she leaned over him on all fours, their eyes burning into each other letting go their desires with just a tense stare.

Hitsugaya flipped them over without hesitation he slid his hand up her right thigh to unclip her cellphone off the strap on her leg but to her surprise he came out with both objects and placed them on a night table. Her heart was pounding as she slipped his jacket from her shoulders letting it slide the floor as she sat up.

"You know this is just going to make it harder for you to leave." She whispered.

"I know." He said back lower. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She nodded lightly and began unbuttoning his undershirt with trembling fingers. "Everything with you, _only _you."

Clothing was being removed and slipping off the mattress as they kissed. Hinamori was pressed into the sheets as she grasped the necklace hanging off her lover's neck holding and letting the pendant rest in a fist against her collar bone. Hitsugaya was only in black boxers then he was unzipping his partner's dress from the side.

She raised herself a little off the bed and wriggled out of her dress to help him, and then she was lying there, only in red undergarments, before him. Both were panting letting their breath fan across one another's face.

"Wait." Hinamori whispered.

"Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head.

"I-I'm scared." Her voice cracked.

"Of me?"

"Sort of. It's complicated but I…I just haven't…."

Hitsugaya cocked and eyebrow. "Never?"

"Never."

Hinamori bit her lip as Hitsugaya stared at her with an intense yet questioning look, he wasn't blinking. "You're not helping Hitsugaya…"

He rolled onto his side next to her.

"So…do you think we should talk about this?"

Hinamori covered her face with her hands and groaned into them and shook her head. _So much for the mood. _

"I think we should sleep."

"What?"

Hinamori was irritated, "I said _sleep._"

She rolled away, not facing Hitsugaya and that was then they both decided to go to sleep.

_2:00am_

Hinamori twisted and rolled over in the bed, she shifted her legs from left to right and accidentally kicked Hitsugaya.

"Ow."

Hinamori stopped moving when she realized that he probably couldn't sleep either.

"Hinamori?"

She pretended to be asleep even when she heard Hitsugaya sigh. She felt him bump her shoulder and then an arm wrapped casually around her waist; his face was buried into her hair as he breathed in her scent. She almost shivered.

A half in hour later, she couldn't take it anymore. "Hitsugaya?"

"Hmmnnn…"

She twisted around in his arm and to face him, his fingers ran down her side and she giggled.

"Ticklish."

He smirked and he opened his eyes, "Can't sleep?"

"Two-thirty, new record."

Hinamori sat up letting the sheets fall to the bed, completely oblivious that she was just in undergarments. She watched the candles still flickering in the room, only two remained. Hitsugaya sat up and wrapped his arms around her and lightly nipped her skin as she leaned back into him.

"Hinamori, you know…"

"Yes?"

"That I love you."

She froze for a moment, yet of course somehow deep down inside she always knew but to finally hear those words, she felt giddy. Hitsugaya was very quiet.

"Ready to talk?" he whispered ignoring his hurt.

Hinamori's body rotated in a way that Hitsugaya wasn't ready for her as her lips caught his; they fell back onto the mattress. She pressed her knees against his sides as her weight pushed him down. She smiled against his lips as she felt the blanket touch her legs, and then it was resting on her back. Hinamori felt her bra slip away from her arms and it was moved elsewhere on the bed; Hitsugaya rolled over rotating their positions and then pulled the blanket over their heads as the last candle blew out leaving them in darkness.

**Authors Note: Well there's the last chapter of 'Only You' but not without a sequel with major twist in it! Any who thank you to all those who've favorited, alerted and reviewed (too lazy to list out the names) Summaries on _both_ sequels in my profile under new/up coming projects! Once again thank you to those who've supported me through my stories, Love you guys! See you again in my future updates! P.S- I'll notify those who review for this chapter as to when the sequel is uploaded.  
**


End file.
